Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Santa Marta

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 Santa Marta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Santa Marta $1,436

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,691 in Santa Marta, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Santa Marta $1,691

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $1,946 in Santa Marta, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Santa Marta $1,946

San Jose costs about 35% more than Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Santa Marta sit above the global median – San Jose by 44%, Santa Marta by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.85 COP 12.2K

14.03%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.52 COP 4,834

60.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.15 COP 6,825

41.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.18 COP 3,737

104.24%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.55 COP 8,070

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$8.18 COP 25.9K

31.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$9.79 COP 31.0K

6.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$11.43 COP 36.2K

22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$4.13 COP 13.1K

27.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$0.98 COP 3,110

62.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.12 COP 3,553

318.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.99 COP 6,308

98.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$0.91 COP 2,881

330.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.54 COP 4,888

138.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.97 COP 3,081

15.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.64 COP 2,037

398.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$4.10 COP 13.0K

46.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$17.44 COP 55.3K

12.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.44 COP 4,566

95.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$1.42 COP 4,507

152.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.97 COP 3,086

15.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$3.20 COP 10.2K

-21.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.29 COP 4,104

20.93%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$24.0K COP 75.9M

-6.45%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$33.6K COP 106.6M

5.84%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$154 COP 489.7K

-38.34%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$9.26 COP 29.3K

284.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$22.25 COP 70.6K

163.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$31.58 COP 100.1K

130.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$5.07 COP 16.1K

49.51%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$10.8K COP 34.1M

59.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$86.9 COP 275.6K

-18.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$63.5 COP 201.4K

-12.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$92.6 COP 293.6K

40.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$88.2 COP 279.6K

48.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,088 COP 3.5M

-14.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$743 COP 2.4M

4.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,098 COP 3.5M

79.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$628 COP 2.0M

105.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,098 COP 3.5M

107.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,216 COP 3.9M

50.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$534 COP 1.7M

90.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

19.54

-55.89%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Santa Marta

$743 51.8% 4.1% $32

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Santa Marta

$263 18.3% 34.5% $138

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2% 79.8% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Santa Marta

$186 13% 1.8% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Santa Marta

$149 10.4% 14.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Santa Marta

$42 2.9% 52.5% $46

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5% 91.3% $75

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 $1,088 in Santa Marta. 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 90% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

500,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

San Jose Santa Marta 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Santa Marta

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 Santa Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $2,153 in Santa Marta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Marta, 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 $1,436 in Santa Marta. That's a gap of about 35%.

Groceries cost about 53% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Marta, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Santa Marta it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Marta – 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 Santa Marta. 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.