Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Trujillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $867 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
Learn more

Trujillo Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$867

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $867 in Trujillo, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Trujillo $867

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,340 in Trujillo, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Trujillo $1,340

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $1,814 in Trujillo, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Trujillo $1,814

San Jose costs about 124% more than Trujillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Trujillo is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$3.50 PEN 12.01

253.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$23.64 PEN 81.2

157.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$7.01 PEN 24.07

63.34%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.25 PEN 11.17

35.08%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$0.89 PEN 3.06

203.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.62 PEN 2.12

211.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$1.98 PEN 6.81

61.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.46 PEN 11.89

27.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.31 PEN 4.50

86.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.06 PEN 7.08

48.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.14 PEN 3.92

111.40%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.98 PEN 13.68

-14.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$7.81 PEN 26.82

37.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$6.54 PEN 22.46

59.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$9.20 PEN 31.61

52.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$1.67 PEN 5.74

214.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$0.61 PEN 2.08

160.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$0.60 PEN 2.06

681.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$0.89 PEN 3.07

343.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.00 PEN 3.42

292.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.14 PEN 3.90

222.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.24 PEN 4.24

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.14 PEN 3.93

179.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$4.22 PEN 14.49

42.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$5.72 PEN 19.66

241.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.71 PEN 5.88

64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$1.63 PEN 5.61

120.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.57 PEN 1.94

96.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$17.65 PEN 60.6

278.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.53 PEN 8.68

-1.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.21 PEN 7.58

-26.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$5.98 PEN 20.55

42.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.70 PEN 5.84

-8.24%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$17.5K PEN 60.2K

27.90%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$27.8K PEN 95.3K

28.17%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$97.9 PEN 336

-2.75%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$12.84 PEN 44.08

177.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$27.05 PEN 92.9

116.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$39.49 PEN 136

84.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$5.79 PEN 19.89

329.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$4.40 PEN 15.11

72.27%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$107 PEN 369

832.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$2,078 PEN 7,136

724.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$71.8 PEN 247

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$14.35 PEN 49.28

288.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$46.03 PEN 158

181.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$43.97 PEN 151

197.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$384 PEN 1,319

141.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$253 PEN 869

206.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$744 PEN 2,555

164.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$512 PEN 1,758

151.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$1,177 PEN 4,043

93.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$548 PEN 1,884

85.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.7

-26.32%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Trujillo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Trujillo

$253 29.2% 67.3% $521

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Trujillo

$204 23.5% 49.1% $197

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Trujillo

$111 12.8% 51.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Trujillo

$138 15.9% 27.3% $52

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Trujillo

$79 9.2% 54.5% $95

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Trujillo

$48 5.6% 45% $40

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Trujillo

$33 3.9% 59.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $384 in Trujillo. 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 85% 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 $24.00 in Trujillo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $204 – making Trujillo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

314,939

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Trujillo 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Trujillo

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 Trujillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 124%, 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 $1,300 in Trujillo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose and $24.00 in Trujillo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,938 in San Jose and $867 in Trujillo. That's a gap of about 124%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Trujillo, where all-in costs run around $867, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Trujillo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Trujillo – 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 Trujillo. 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.