Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and San Juan de Pasto

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,371 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 de Pasto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
San Juan de Pasto $1,371

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $2,031 in San Juan de Pasto, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
San Juan de Pasto $2,031

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,691 in San Juan de Pasto, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
San Juan de Pasto $2,691

San Jose costs about 41% more than San Juan de Pasto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and San Juan de Pasto sit above the global median – San Jose by 44%, San Juan de Pasto by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$6.63 COP 21.0K

86.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$45.64 COP 144.7K

33.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$9.96 COP 31.6K

14.96%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$2.57 COP 8,146

70.82%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.56 COP 4,948

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.86 COP 2,715

124.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$3.07 COP 9,733

4.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.05 COP 12.9K

8.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.43 COP 4,538

70.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.41 COP 7,629

26.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.83 COP 5,795

31.69%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.33 COP 10.6K

2.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$7.27 COP 23.1K

47.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$11.06 COP 35.1K

-5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$13.41 COP 42.5K

4.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$3.58 COP 11.3K

46.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.40 COP 4,426

13.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$2.01 COP 6,359

133.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.78 COP 5,640

121.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.41 COP 4,481

178.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.27 COP 4,041

189.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.12 COP 3,566

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.12 COP 3,555

184.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$3.65 COP 11.6K

64.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$13.43 COP 42.6K

45.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.46 COP 4,635

93.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.73 COP 8,670

31.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.07 COP 3,390

4.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.61 COP 5,102

55.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.39 COP 7,590

-31.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$9.04 COP 28.7K

-5.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 COP 3,770

31.09%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$22.6K COP 71.7M

-0.88%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$32.0K COP 101.4M

11.28%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$124 COP 392.5K

-23.08%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$13.01 COP 41.2K

173.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$29.19 COP 92.5K

100.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$42.67 COP 135.3K

70.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$6.19 COP 19.6K

22.46%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$682 COP 2.2M

46.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$6,774 COP 21.5M

152.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$91.0 COP 288.5K

-22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$61.1 COP 193.8K

-8.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$153 COP 486.6K

-15.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$102 COP 323.0K

28.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$706 COP 2.2M

31.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$518 COP 1.6M

49.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,082 COP 3.4M

81.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$789 COP 2.5M

63.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

12.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,580 COP 5.0M

15.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.58

-25.56%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

San Juan de Pasto

$518 37.8% 33% $256

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

San Juan de Pasto

$284 20.7% 29.2% $117

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

San Juan de Pasto

$147 10.7% 35.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

San Juan de Pasto

$166 12.1% 12.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

San Juan de Pasto

$183 13.4% 5.3% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

San Juan de Pasto

$55 4% 37.3% $33

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

San Juan de Pasto

$18 * 1.3% 78.2% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $706 in San Juan de Pasto. 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 $61.0 in San Jose versus $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $284 – making San Juan de Pasto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

392,930

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose San Juan de Pasto 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
San Juan de Pasto

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 de Pasto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $2,057 in San Juan de Pasto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $682 in San Juan de Pasto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan de Pasto, where all-in costs run around $1,371, than in San Jose at $1,938. In San Juan de Pasto it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan de Pasto. 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.