Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Soledad

For one person, living is cheaper in Soledad: $1,307 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Soledad
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Soledad Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Soledad

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,307 in Soledad, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Soledad $1,307

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $2,057 in Soledad, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Soledad $2,057

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,806 in Soledad, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Soledad $2,806

San Jose costs about 48% more than Soledad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Soledad is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,562

$5.83 COP 18.6K

112.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$42.55 COP 135.3K

43.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,145

$10.03 COP 31.9K

14.16%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,971

$2.56 COP 8,136

71.48%

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

$2.70 ₡1,213

$2.55 COP 8,119

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡865

$2.25 COP 7,155

-14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,436

$3.33 COP 10.6K

-3.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,982

$5.15 COP 16.4K

-14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,095

$1.94 COP 6,155

25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,372

$2.77 COP 8,795

10.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,083

$1.43 COP 4,543

68.53%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,526

$4.98 COP 15.8K

-31.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,832

$7.85 COP 25.0K

36.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,688

$9.74 COP 31.0K

7.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,286

$13.34 COP 42.4K

4.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,357

$3.46 COP 11.0K

51.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡713

$1.65 COP 5,235

-3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,107

$2.00 COP 6,361

134.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,774

$1.68 COP 5,341

135.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,763

$1.25 COP 3,960

213.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,655

$1.36 COP 4,330

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.08 COP 3,442

3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,432

$1.19 COP 3,799

168.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,697

$3.55 COP 11.3K

69.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,788

$14.35 COP 45.6K

36.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,266

$1.41 COP 4,477

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,614

$2.20 COP 7,011

63.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.26 COP 4,008

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,121

$1.58 COP 5,017

58.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡734

$3.65 COP 11.6K

-55.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,819

$9.19 COP 29.2K

-7.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.33 COP 4,240

17.29%

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

$22.4K ₡10.1M

$23.1K COP 73.5M

-3.03%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$34.0K COP 108.0M

4.75%

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

$95.2 ₡42.8K

$79.3 COP 252.3K

20.05%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$11.95 COP 38.0K

197.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$25.61 COP 81.5K

128.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.7K

$32.77 COP 104.2K

121.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,408

$8.05 COP 25.6K

-5.84%

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

$1,001 ₡449.9K

$627 COP 2.0M

59.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$5,760 COP 18.3M

197.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.7K

$92.9 COP 295.3K

-24.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$48.49 COP 154.2K

15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.3K

$116 COP 370.5K

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$109 COP 347.8K

19.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡416.6K

$629 COP 2.0M

47.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.9K

$504 COP 1.6M

53.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡883.7K

$876 COP 2.8M

124.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡578.7K

$973 COP 3.1M

32.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,768 COP 5.6M

28.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡822.6K

$1,584 COP 5.0M

15.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡456.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.53%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Soledad: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Soledad

$504 38.6% 34.9% $271

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Soledad

$294 22.5% 26.7% $107

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Soledad

$154 11.8% 33% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Soledad

$117 8.9% 38.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Soledad

$165 12.6% 5.1% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Soledad

$49 3.7% 44.4% $39

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Soledad

$25 * 1.9% 69.7% $57

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 $629 in Soledad. 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 $43.00 in Soledad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $294 – making Soledad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Soledad

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

582,156

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Soledad 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Soledad

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 Soledad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 48%, 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 $1,960 in Soledad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Soledad, 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 $1,307 in Soledad. That's a gap of about 48%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $627 in Soledad. 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 Soledad, where all-in costs run around $1,307, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Soledad it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Soledad – 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 Soledad. 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.