Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $1,707 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,707 per month in San Pedro vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

San Pedro $1,707
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in San Pedro vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

San Pedro $2,825
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $3,943 per month in San Pedro vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

San Pedro $3,943
San Jose $3,934

San Pedro is about 12% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Pedro and San Jose sit above the global median – San Pedro by 26%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 ₡5,563

$12.38 ₡5,551

0.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 ₡28.0K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

2.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$11.45 ₡5,135

3.49%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,964

$4.39 ₡1,967

-0.23%

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

$2.73 ₡1,226

$2.70 ₡1,211

1.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡829

$1.93 ₡864

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,467

$3.20 ₡1,433

2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$4.41 ₡1,979

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$2.44 ₡1,093

-2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$3.05 ₡1,369

-0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$2.41 ₡1,081

3.73%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,560

$3.40 ₡1,523

2.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,862

$10.75 ₡4,823

0.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,718

$10.43 ₡4,679

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,355

$13.99 ₡6,273

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,291

$5.25 ₡2,353

-2.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.59 ₡712

-1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,153

$4.69 ₡2,103

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,699

$3.95 ₡1,770

-4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,732

$3.92 ₡1,760

-1.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$3.68 ₡1,651

1.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$1.12 ₡503

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,388

$3.19 ₡1,429

-2.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 ₡2,677

$6.00 ₡2,692

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.99 ₡8,963

$19.56 ₡8,771

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$2.82 ₡1,263

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,590

$3.59 ₡1,611

-1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ₡661

$1.12 ₡503

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,119

$2.50 ₡1,119

-0.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.63 ₡733

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ₡3,964

$8.50 ₡3,812

4.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡676

$1.56 ₡701

-3.21%

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

$21.7K ₡9.7M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-3.28%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

0.03%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-0.61%

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

$35.67 ₡16.0K

$35.58 ₡16.0K

0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 ₡27.0K

$58.6 ₡26.3K

2.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 ₡31.2K

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-4.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 ₡3,417

$7.58 ₡3,401

0.53%

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

$985 ₡441.6K

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-1.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

0.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 ₡32.0K

$70.5 ₡31.6K

1.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-1.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.9K

$130 ₡58.2K

-0.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.9K

$131 ₡58.7K

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 ₡366.9K

$927 ₡415.8K

-11.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 ₡273.6K

$774 ₡347.2K

-21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 ₡890.2K

$1,967 ₡882.0K

0.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 ₡649.1K

$1,288 ₡577.6K

12.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

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 Pedro: October 10, 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 Pedro

$610 35.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 26.9% $164

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$400 23.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

San Pedro

$231 13.5%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 0.7% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 0.6% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$174 10.2%

San Jose

$174 9% 0% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$85 5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 3.5% $3

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 407% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $818 in San Pedro 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 $62.0 in San Pedro versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in San Pedro vs $401 in San Jose – so San Pedro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

Same time as San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Pedro San Jose 41 km

From you

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,561 per month in San Pedro 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 Pedro, 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 $1,707 in San Pedro and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $985 per month in San Pedro 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro, where all-in costs run around $1,707, than in San Jose at $1,938. In San Pedro it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Pedro – 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 San Pedro. 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.