Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Costa Rica and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $1,723 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,723 per month in San Juan vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

San Juan $1,723
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,746 per month in San Juan vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

San Juan $2,746
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,770 per month in San Juan vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

San Juan $3,770
San Jose $4,054

San Juan is about 18% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Juan and San Jose sit above the global median – San Juan by 27%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 ₡5,602

$12.37 ₡5,564

0.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$62.4 ₡28.1K

-2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,331

$11.71 ₡5,265

1.20%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,956

$4.54 ₡2,040

-4.19%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡855

$1.86 ₡837

2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,502

$3.35 ₡1,506

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,035

$4.32 ₡1,945

4.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,047

$2.36 ₡1,061

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₡1,400

$3.07 ₡1,379

1.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$2.51 ₡1,128

-2.79%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,565

$3.53 ₡1,585

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,794

$10.54 ₡4,739

1.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,731

$10.57 ₡4,755

-0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,291

$13.92 ₡6,262

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,264

$5.20 ₡2,338

-3.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.65 ₡741

-3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 ₡2,149

$4.89 ₡2,198

-2.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,713

$3.84 ₡1,728

-0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,748

$3.91 ₡1,757

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$3.76 ₡1,692

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.12 ₡505

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,393

$3.22 ₡1,447

-3.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,635

$6.02 ₡2,707

-2.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.61 ₡8,820

$19.84 ₡8,920

-1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,287

$2.81 ₡1,265

1.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,613

$3.65 ₡1,644

-1.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡605

$1.08 ₡487

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$2.26 ₡1,018

7.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$1.78 ₡799

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 ₡3,877

$7.90 ₡3,552

9.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.50 ₡673

5.33%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$33.5K ₡15.1M

2.78%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-2.34%

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

$95.5 ₡43.0K

$93.2 ₡41.9K

2.52%

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

$35.02 ₡15.7K

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-3.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 ₡30.1K

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-2.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,469

$7.67 ₡3,450

0.52%

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

$980 ₡440.7K

$972 ₡437.0K

0.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-8.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$70.6 ₡31.8K

2.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.3K

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$129 ₡57.8K

0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$131 ₡58.8K

2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₡358.8K

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-31.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₡282.1K

$943 ₡424.2K

-33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡864.2K

$1,984 ₡892.1K

-3.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡578.7K

$1,400 ₡629.6K

-8.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for San Juan: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$627 36.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 50.4% $316

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$399 23.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 0.9% $3.7

Eating Out

San Juan

$232 13.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$176 10.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 1.2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.8%

San Jose

$84 4% 2.2% $1.8

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 418% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in San Juan versus $1,170 in San Jose. 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 in San Juan versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $403 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan San Jose 3 km

From you

San Juan
San Jose

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 Juan vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in San Juan and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in San Juan and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Juan about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $980 per month in San Juan and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,723 in San Juan and $2,107 in San Jose, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Juan costs $1,723 versus $2,107 in San Jose. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.