Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Ramon and in Cartago: $1,729 and $1,733 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,729 in San Ramon versus $1,733 in Cartago.

San Ramon $1,729
Cartago $1,733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,722 in San Ramon versus $2,363 in Cartago.

San Ramon $2,722
Cartago $2,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,715 in San Ramon versus $2,993 in Cartago.

San Ramon $3,715
Cartago $2,993

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,500

$8.61 ₡3,886

41.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$35.63 ₡16.1K

73.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 ₡5,276

$9.75 ₡4,400

19.90%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,726

$4.55 ₡2,056

-16.04%

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

$2.21 ₡996

$2.24 ₡1,013

-1.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₡884

$1.37 ₡618

43.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₡1,357

$2.15 ₡972

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ₡2,126

$4.20 ₡1,896

12.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,077

$2.39 ₡1,079

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,371

$2.48 ₡1,118

22.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,141

$2.42 ₡1,093

4.55%

Eggs

$5.07 ₡2,288

$3.59 ₡1,622

41.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,869

$8.73 ₡3,940

23.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₡4,654

$10.61 ₡4,788

-2.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 ₡6,446

$13.93 ₡6,288

2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,253

$5.05 ₡2,279

-1.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.33 ₡601

16.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$4.37 ₡1,975

-25.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,546

$2.99 ₡1,350

14.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$2.16 ₡977

47.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,452

$2.25 ₡1,015

43.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₡547

$1.07 ₡484

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,236

$2.18 ₡985

25.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 ₡2,511

$5.98 ₡2,700

-7.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,362

$15.61 ₡7,047

4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,154

$2.85 ₡1,286

-10.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,234

$2.02 ₡911

35.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

$1.27 ₡571

2.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,108

$1.31 ₡591

87.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.57 ₡711

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡4,005

$8.73 ₡3,941

1.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.50 ₡675

3.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$34.7K ₡15.7M

-0.56%

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

$41.3K ₡18.7M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-2.25%

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

$144 ₡65.2K

$53.0 ₡23.9K

172.51%

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

$44.11 ₡19.9K

$36.31 ₡16.4K

21.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-10.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$68.0 ₡30.7K

-13.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,526

$7.16 ₡3,234

9.08%

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

$843 ₡380.8K

$559 ₡252.2K

51.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$7,872 ₡3.6M

116.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.8K

$72.8 ₡32.9K

-3.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$56.8 ₡25.7K

-2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.1K

$121 ₡54.8K

5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₡56.5K

$87.1 ₡39.3K

43.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡368.5K

$733 ₡331.0K

11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡282.5K

$725 ₡327.1K

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 ₡859.0K

$1,920 ₡866.9K

-0.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 ₡563.9K

$702 ₡316.8K

78.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 ₡516.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

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 Ramon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Ramon

$626 36.2%

Cartago

$725 41.8% 15.8% $99

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$380 22%

Cartago

$350 20.2% 7.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$242 14%

Cartago

$149 8.6% 38.4% $93

Eating Out

San Ramon

$220 12.7%

Cartago

$186 10.8% 15.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$171 9.9%

Cartago

$152 8.8% 10.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$75 4.3%

Cartago

$82 4.8% 10.3% $7.7

Getting Around

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 470% $73

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 $816 in San Ramon and $733 in Cartago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Ramon vs $36 in Cartago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $350 per month, with Cartago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

Same time as San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

110,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Ramon Cartago 65 km

From you

San Ramon
Cartago

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 Ramon vs Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,593 in San Ramon and $2,600 in Cartago 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: $816 in San Ramon versus $733 in Cartago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartago – a meal for two runs $36 versus $62 in San Ramon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $843 in San Ramon versus $559 in Cartago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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