Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in San Ramon: $1,723 and $1,739 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,723 in San Juan versus $1,739 in San Ramon.

San Juan $1,723
San Ramon $1,739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,746 in San Juan versus $2,736 in San Ramon.

San Juan $2,746
San Ramon $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,770 in San Juan versus $3,733 in San Ramon.

San Juan $3,770
San Ramon $3,733

Monthly costs are close between San Juan and San Ramon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 27% above, San Ramon 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 ₡5,602

$12.12 ₡5,450

2.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$57.5 ₡25.8K

5.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,331

$11.65 ₡5,240

1.72%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,956

$4.11 ₡1,850

5.84%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.65 ₡1,191

3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡855

$1.84 ₡829

3.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,502

$3.22 ₡1,450

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,035

$4.47 ₡2,011

1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,047

$2.39 ₡1,076

-2.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₡1,400

$2.94 ₡1,321

5.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$2.53 ₡1,138

-3.56%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,565

$5.03 ₡2,261

-30.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,794

$10.90 ₡4,901

-2.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,731

$10.51 ₡4,724

0.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,291

$13.89 ₡6,248

0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,264

$4.97 ₡2,236

1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.56 ₡703

1.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 ₡2,149

$3.39 ₡1,526

41.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,713

$3.40 ₡1,528

12.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,748

$3.14 ₡1,413

23.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$3.22 ₡1,450

16.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.24 ₡560

-9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,393

$2.66 ₡1,197

16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,635

$5.83 ₡2,623

0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.61 ₡8,820

$16.18 ₡7,276

21.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,287

$2.61 ₡1,173

9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,613

$2.75 ₡1,237

30.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡605

$1.30 ₡585

3.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$2.50 ₡1,123

-3.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$1.55 ₡696

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 ₡3,877

$8.76 ₡3,938

-1.60%

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

$33.9K ₡15.2M

1.63%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$41.2K ₡18.5M

0.18%

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

$95.5 ₡43.0K

$145 ₡65.2K

-34.14%

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

$35.02 ₡15.7K

$43.72 ₡19.7K

-19.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$53.0 ₡23.8K

13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 ₡30.1K

$68.4 ₡30.8K

-1.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,469

$7.91 ₡3,559

-2.53%

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

$980 ₡440.7K

$850 ₡382.3K

15.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-1.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$70.8 ₡31.8K

1.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.3K

$55.7 ₡25.0K

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$128 ₡57.6K

0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$129 ₡58.2K

3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₡358.8K

$804 ₡361.7K

-0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₡282.1K

$621 ₡279.4K

0.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡864.2K

$1,930 ₡868.1K

-0.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡578.7K

$1,261 ₡567.3K

2.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 ₡521.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 ₡523.8K

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 Ramon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$627 36.4%

San Ramon

$621 35.7% 0.9% $5.9

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$399 23.2%

San Ramon

$379 21.8% 5% $20

Eating Out

San Juan

$232 13.5%

San Ramon

$224 12.9% 3.2% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.1%

San Ramon

$242 13.9% 26.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$176 10.2%

San Ramon

$173 9.9% 1.9% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.8%

San Ramon

$84 4.8% 2.1% $1.8

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

San Ramon

$15 * 0.9% 1% $0.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $798 in San Juan and $804 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in San Juan vs $57 in San Ramon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $379 per month, with San Ramon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

10,000

💱 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

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Between locations

San Juan San Ramon 45 km

From you

San Juan
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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 Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,584 in San Juan and $2,608 in San Ramon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $798 in San Juan versus $804 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $980 in San Juan versus $850 in San Ramon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in San Ramon pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though San Juan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, San Juan and San Ramon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.