Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan de Pasto: $1,371 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
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San Juan de Pasto Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,371

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan de Pasto 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 de Pasto and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,371 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $1,371
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,031
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $2,691 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,691
San Jose $3,934

San Juan de Pasto is about 29% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan de Pasto and San Jose sit above the global median – San Juan de Pasto by 2%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.63 COP 21.0K

$12.38 ₡5,551

-46.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.64 COP 144.7K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-25.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 COP 31.6K

$11.45 ₡5,135

-13.01%

Cappuccino

$2.57 COP 8,146

$4.39 ₡1,967

-41.46%

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

$1.56 COP 4,948

$2.70 ₡1,211

-42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 COP 2,715

$1.93 ₡864

-55.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 COP 9,733

$3.20 ₡1,433

-4.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 COP 12.9K

$4.41 ₡1,979

-8.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$2.44 ₡1,093

-41.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,629

$3.05 ₡1,369

-20.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 COP 5,795

$2.41 ₡1,081

-24.07%

Eggs

$3.33 COP 10.6K

$3.40 ₡1,523

-2.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.27 COP 23.1K

$10.75 ₡4,823

-32.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.06 COP 35.1K

$10.43 ₡4,679

6.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 COP 42.5K

$13.99 ₡6,273

-4.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.3K

$5.25 ₡2,353

-31.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,426

$1.59 ₡712

-11.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 COP 6,359

$4.69 ₡2,103

-57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,640

$3.95 ₡1,770

-54.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,481

$3.92 ₡1,760

-64.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 COP 4,041

$3.68 ₡1,651

-65.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 COP 3,566

$1.12 ₡503

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 COP 3,555

$3.19 ₡1,429

-64.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 COP 11.6K

$6.00 ₡2,692

-39.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 COP 42.6K

$19.56 ₡8,771

-31.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,635

$2.82 ₡1,263

-48.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 COP 8,670

$3.59 ₡1,611

-23.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 COP 3,390

$1.12 ₡503

-4.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 COP 5,102

$2.50 ₡1,119

-35.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 COP 7,590

$1.63 ₡733

46.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 COP 28.7K

$8.50 ₡3,812

6.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 COP 3,770

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

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

$22.6K COP 71.7M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

0.89%

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

$32.0K COP 101.4M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-10.14%

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

$124 COP 392.5K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

30.00%

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

$13.01 COP 41.2K

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-63.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.19 COP 92.5K

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-50.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.67 COP 135.3K

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-41.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 COP 19.6K

$7.58 ₡3,401

-18.34%

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

$682 COP 2.2M

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-31.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,774 COP 21.5M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-60.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 COP 288.5K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

29.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 COP 193.8K

$55.8 ₡25.0K

9.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 COP 486.6K

$130 ₡58.2K

18.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 COP 323.0K

$131 ₡58.7K

-22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 COP 2.2M

$927 ₡415.8K

-23.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$518 COP 1.6M

$774 ₡347.2K

-33.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 COP 3.4M

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-45.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 COP 2.5M

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-38.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-10.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,580 COP 5.0M

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-13.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

8.62

34.34%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$518 37.8%

San Jose

$774 40% 49.4% $256

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$284 20.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 41.2% $117

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$183 13.4%

San Jose

$174 9% 5.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$166 12.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 14.1% $23

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$147 10.7%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 56.1% $82

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$55 4%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 59.6% $33

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$18 * 1.3%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 359% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $706 in San Juan de Pasto versus $927 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 $46.00 in San Juan de Pasto versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $401 – making San Juan de Pasto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

1 h behind San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan de Pasto San Jose 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,057 per month in San Juan de Pasto and $2,907 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 de Pasto, 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 $1,371 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $682 per month in San Juan de Pasto and $1,001 in San Jose. 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 San Juan de Pasto, where all-in costs run around $1,371, than in San Jose at $1,938. In San Juan de Pasto it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan de Pasto – 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 San Juan de Pasto. 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.