Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Villavicencio

For one person, living is cheaper in Villavicencio: $1,322 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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 Villavicencio
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Villavicencio Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Villavicencio

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,322

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,322 in Villavicencio, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Villavicencio $1,322

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,988 in Villavicencio, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Villavicencio $1,988

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,655 in Villavicencio, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Villavicencio $2,655

San Jose costs about 47% more than Villavicencio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Villavicencio is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$7.60 COP 24.1K

62.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$42.13 COP 133.6K

44.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$10.16 COP 32.2K

12.70%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$2.58 COP 8,167

70.16%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.38 COP 4,371

95.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.85 COP 2,709

127.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.08 COP 6,592

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.96 COP 12.5K

11.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.69 COP 5,351

44.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.52 COP 7,993

21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.69 COP 5,355

42.60%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.35 COP 10.6K

1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$7.85 COP 24.9K

36.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$7.55 COP 23.9K

38.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$9.83 COP 31.2K

42.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$3.58 COP 11.3K

46.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.83 COP 5,807

-13.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$1.91 COP 6,048

145.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$1.80 COP 5,715

119.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.49 COP 4,729

163.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$1.38 COP 4,372

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.29 COP 4,100

-13.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.20 COP 3,794

165.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$4.31 COP 13.7K

39.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$12.48 COP 39.6K

56.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$1.44 COP 4,563

95.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.79 COP 8,849

28.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.14 COP 3,619

-1.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.06 COP 6,537

21.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.32 COP 7,351

-29.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$9.22 COP 29.2K

-7.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.32 COP 4,198

18.18%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$23.6K COP 74.8M

-5.06%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$36.1K COP 114.4M

-1.42%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$122 COP 386.9K

-21.97%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$16.15 COP 51.2K

120.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$30.25 COP 95.9K

93.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$34.45 COP 109.2K

110.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$7.71 COP 24.4K

-1.69%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$503 COP 1.6M

99.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$7,429 COP 23.6M

130.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$85.5 COP 270.9K

-17.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$48.53 COP 153.9K

15.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$143 COP 454.0K

-9.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$106 COP 334.5K

23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$666 COP 2.1M

39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$501 COP 1.6M

54.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$872 COP 2.8M

125.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$840 COP 2.7M

53.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$2,129 COP 6.8M

6.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$1,771 COP 5.6M

3.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.81

-32.71%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Villavicencio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Villavicencio

$501 37.9% 35.3% $274

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Villavicencio

$263 19.9% 34.4% $138

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Villavicencio

$149 11.3% 34.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Villavicencio

$168 12.7% 11.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Villavicencio

$172 13% 1.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Villavicencio

$50 3.8% 43.2% $38

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Villavicencio

$18 * 1.4% 77.8% $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 $666 in Villavicencio. 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 $42.00 in Villavicencio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $263 – making Villavicencio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇴 Villavicencio

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

407,977

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Villavicencio 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Villavicencio

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 Villavicencio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 47%, 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 $1,983 in Villavicencio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Villavicencio, 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 $1,322 in Villavicencio. That's a gap of about 47%.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in San Jose and $503 in Villavicencio. 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 Villavicencio, where all-in costs run around $1,322, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Villavicencio it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Villavicencio – 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 Villavicencio. 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.