Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael, Costa Rica and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,718 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,718

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Rafael and in New York, NY

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

A single person spends $1,718 per month in San Rafael vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

San Rafael $1,718
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,741 per month in San Rafael vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

San Rafael $2,741
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in San Rafael vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

San Rafael $3,765
New York, NY $9,641

San Rafael is about 65% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Rafael and New York, NY sit above the global median – San Rafael by 27%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.45 ₡5,596

$26.93 $26.93

-53.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.0K

$117 $117

-46.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 ₡5,315

$14.60 $14.60

-19.04%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,951

$6.54 $6.54

-33.64%

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

$2.61 ₡1,174

$3.86 $3.86

-32.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡866

$2.95 $2.95

-34.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 ₡1,484

$8.08 $8.08

-59.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ₡2,007

$9.85 $9.85

-54.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₡1,038

$1.31 $1.31

76.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,375

$4.97 $4.97

-38.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$7.70 $7.70

-68.96%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,589

$6.09 $6.09

-42.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 ₡4,812

$19.55 $19.55

-45.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,772

$17.59 $17.59

-39.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.86 ₡6,231

$20.26 $20.26

-31.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 ₡2,301

$6.99 $6.99

-26.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₡717

$2.21 $2.21

-27.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,197

$6.72 $6.72

-27.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,718

$7.12 $7.12

-46.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,671

$4.61 $4.61

-19.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 ₡1,666

$4.78 $4.78

-22.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.87 $2.87

-60.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,439

$2.69 $2.69

18.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,696

$19.14 $19.14

-68.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 ₡8,845

$19.63 $19.63

0.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,291

$3.32 $3.32

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,595

$4.19 $4.19

-15.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡607

$3.02 $3.02

-55.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,107

$3.04 $3.04

-19.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡728

$2.20 $2.20

-26.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,978

$41.33 $41.33

-78.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.13 $1.13

38.05%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.5K $34.5K

-1.51%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$25.8K $25.8K

63.31%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$232 $232

-58.47%

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

$35.72 ₡16.1K

$71.0 $71.0

-49.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.8K

$67.7 $67.7

-11.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ₡30.7K

$115 $115

-40.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ₡3,478

$22.41 $22.41

-65.51%

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

$985 ₡442.8K

$3,606 $3,606

-72.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$68.7K $68.7K

-75.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 ₡32.5K

$79.3 $79.3

-8.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 ₡25.6K

$51.4 $51.4

10.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡56.9K

$121 $121

4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.6K

$140 $140

-5.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 ₡357.2K

$4,555 $4,555

-82.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 ₡279.2K

$3,040 $3,040

-79.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,888 ₡849.1K

$9,742 $9,742

-80.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 ₡571.7K

$5,331 $5,331

-76.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for San Rafael: November 1, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$621 36.1%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 390% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$400 23.3%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 41.8% $167

Eating Out

San Rafael

$231 13.4%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 84.3% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$192 11.2%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 93.3% $179

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.2%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$84 4.9%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 91.1% $76

Getting Around

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 937% $150

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in San Rafael versus $4,555 in New York, NY. 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 in San Rafael versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $567 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

1 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Rafael New York, NY 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Rafael
New York, NY

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 Rafael vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 185% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in San Rafael and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,718 in San Rafael and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes San Rafael about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $985 per month in San Rafael and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,718, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Rafael – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.