Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $979 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Quito

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Jose and in Quito actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $979 in Quito, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
Quito $979

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $1,607 in Quito, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
Quito $1,607

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $2,234 in Quito, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
Quito $2,234

San Jose costs about 99% more than Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 45% above the global median, while Quito is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$6.14 $6.14

99.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$53.9 $53.9

11.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$7.81 $7.81

50.70%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.42 $3.42

25.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.44 $1.44

88.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.14 $1.14

61.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$3.48 $3.48

-5.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$5.89 $5.89

-25.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.14 $1.14

108.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$1.54 $1.54

102.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.51 $1.51

59.60%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.16 $2.16

60.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$6.40 $6.40

65.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$5.48 $5.48

92.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$7.81 $7.81

76.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$2.33 $2.33

116.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.24 $1.24

29.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.31 $1.31

250.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.14 $1.14

236.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$1.21 $1.21

211.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$1.02 $1.02

268.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$0.93 $0.93

20.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.05 $1.05

204.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$6.02 $6.02

-2.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$9.93 $9.93

98.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$1.59 $1.59

72.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.08 $3.08

18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.37 $0.37

202.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$20.95 $20.95

210.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$1.54 $1.54

59.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.53 $1.53

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$10.01 $10.01

-15.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$0.87 $0.87

78.16%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$21.0K $21.0K

3.42%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$28.6K $28.6K

22.15%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$28.97 $28.97

226.82%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$17.57 $17.57

99.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$28.14 $28.14

108.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$46.48 $46.48

55.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$17.70 $17.70

42.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$6.38 $6.38

22.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$971 ₡437.9K

$746 $746

30.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$9,015 $9,015

88.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$68.8 $68.8

4.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$50.4 $50.4

8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$117 $117

9.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$109 $109

22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$478 $478

95.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$313 $313

145.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$967 $967

101.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$549 $549

139.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$1,763 $1,763

29.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$720 $720

149.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$597 $597

68.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.12

-14.82%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Quito

$313 31.8% 59.3% $457

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Quito

$198 20.1% 50.5% $201

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Quito

$153 15.5% 32.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Quito

$75 7.6% 60.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Quito

$156 15.8% 11.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Quito

$59 6% 32.6% $29

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Quito

$32 3.2% 60.3% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $478 in Quito. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $54.0 in Quito. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $198 – making Quito the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Quito 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Quito

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

San Jose vs Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $1,468 in Quito. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quito, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 211% less in Quito. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $971 per month in San Jose and $746 in Quito. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Quito, where all-in costs run around $979, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Quito it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Quito – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Quito. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.