Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Tepic

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,100 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,100 in Tepic, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Tepic $1,100

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,808 in Tepic, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Tepic $1,808

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,516 in Tepic, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Tepic $2,516

San Jose costs about 76% more than Tepic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Tepic is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$13.45 MX$249

-7.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$44.40 MX$820

37.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$9.21 MX$170

24.32%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.24 MX$59.9

35.49%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.73 MX$31.90

56.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.23 MX$22.64

56.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.81 MX$51.9

13.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$5.02 MX$92.8

-12.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.51 MX$27.89

61.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.45 MX$45.20

24.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.69 MX$31.24

42.60%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$2.11 MX$38.94

61.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$4.90 MX$90.5

119.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$9.48 MX$175

10.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$11.69 MX$216

19.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$2.81 MX$52.0

86.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.58 MX$29.26

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.98 MX$36.53

136.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.82 MX$33.72

117.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.02 MX$37.37

94.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.83 MX$33.77

101.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.46 MX$26.98

-23.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.07 MX$19.83

198.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$4.26 MX$78.8

40.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$10.56 MX$195

85.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$0.78 MX$14.44

261.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$3.36 MX$62.1

6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.83 MX$15.42

34.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.24 MX$41.34

11.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.33 MX$24.65

22.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$12.03 MX$222

-29.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.43 MX$26.37

9.09%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$21.2K MX$392.2K

5.58%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$23.9K MX$441.4K

48.97%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$44.05 MX$814

116.16%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$12.13 MX$224

193.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$30.94 MX$572

89.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$34.03 MX$629

113.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$20.32 MX$376

22.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$6.62 MX$122

14.50%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$253 MX$4,676

295.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$10.7K MX$198.2K

59.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$59.8 MX$1,105

17.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$39.45 MX$729

41.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$108 MX$1,998

20.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$83.4 MX$1,542

56.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$518 MX$9,568

79.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$360 MX$6,658

114.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,027 MX$19.0K

91.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$752 MX$13.9K

71.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,837 MX$33.9K

23.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,128 MX$20.8K

62.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$657 MX$12.1K

54.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.68

-26.20%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tepic: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Tepic

$360 32.7% 53.5% $414

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Tepic

$253 23% 37% $148

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Tepic

$210 19.1% 8.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Tepic

$87 7.9% 54% $102

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Tepic

$131 11.9% 24.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Tepic

$47 4.3% 46.2% $41

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Tepic

$12 * 1.1% 85.1% $70

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 $518 in Tepic. 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 55% 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 $61.0 in San Jose versus $44.00 in Tepic. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $253 – making Tepic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇲🇽 Tepic

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

371,387

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Tepic 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Tepic

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 Tepic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 76%, 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 $1,651 in Tepic. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tepic, 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 $1,100 in Tepic. That's a gap of about 76%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $253 in Tepic. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tepic, where all-in costs run around $1,100, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Tepic it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tepic – 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 Tepic. 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.