Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and San Juan, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,723 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 San Juan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,723 in San Juan, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
San Juan $1,723

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,746 in San Juan, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
San Juan $2,746

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,770 in San Juan, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
San Juan $3,770

San Jose costs about 22% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and San Juan sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, San Juan by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,564

$12.46 ₡5,602

-0.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.1K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

2.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,265

$11.85 ₡5,331

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.35 ₡1,956

4.37%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.90 ₡855

-2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,506

$3.34 ₡1,502

0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,945

$4.52 ₡2,035

-4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.33 ₡1,047

1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.11 ₡1,400

-1.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.44 ₡1,096

2.87%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.48 ₡1,565

1.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,739

$10.66 ₡4,794

-1.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,755

$10.52 ₡4,731

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,262

$13.99 ₡6,291

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$5.03 ₡2,264

3.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡741

$1.59 ₡715

3.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.78 ₡2,149

2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.81 ₡1,713

0.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.89 ₡1,748

0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.76 ₡1,690

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.12 ₡504

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$3.10 ₡1,393

3.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,707

$5.86 ₡2,635

2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,920

$19.61 ₡8,820

1.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,265

$2.86 ₡1,287

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,644

$3.59 ₡1,613

1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.35 ₡605

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.42 ₡1,087

-6.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.56 ₡699

14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,552

$8.62 ₡3,877

-8.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.58 ₡711

-5.06%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-2.71%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$41.3K ₡18.6M

2.39%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$95.5 ₡43.0K

-2.46%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$35.02 ₡15.7K

3.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$60.1 ₡27.0K

0.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$67.0 ₡30.1K

2.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,450

$7.71 ₡3,469

-0.52%

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

$972 ₡437.0K

$980 ₡440.7K

-0.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$17.2K ₡7.7M

9.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-2.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$56.2 ₡25.3K

0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$129 ₡58.2K

-0.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$134 ₡60.1K

-2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$798 ₡358.8K

46.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.2K

$627 ₡282.1K

50.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.1K

$1,922 ₡864.2K

3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.6K

$1,287 ₡578.7K

8.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

San Juan

$627 36.4% 33.5% $316

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

San Juan

$399 23.2% 0.9% $3.7

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

San Juan

$232 13.5% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

San Juan

$191 11.1% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

San Juan

$176 10.2% 1.2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

San Juan

$82 4.8% 2.1% $1.8

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

San Juan

$16 * 0.9% 80.7% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $798 in San Juan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $61 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $399 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

Same time as San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

27,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose San Juan 3 km

From you

San Jose
San Juan

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 San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $2,584 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,723 in San Juan. That makes San Juan about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $980 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $1,723 in San Juan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $1,723 versus $2,107 in San Jose. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.