Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Ramon and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,729 in San Ramon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index

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San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Ramon and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,729 in San Ramon versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach.

San Ramon $1,729
Jaco Beach $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,722 in San Ramon versus $2,296 in Jaco Beach.

San Ramon $2,722
Jaco Beach $2,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,715 in San Ramon versus $3,147 in Jaco Beach.

San Ramon $3,715
Jaco Beach $3,147

Living in San Ramon is roughly 20% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Ramon 27% above, Jaco Beach 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,500

$11.32 ₡5,108

7.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$43.14 ₡19.5K

43.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 ₡5,276

$10.22 ₡4,615

14.38%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,726

$3.99 ₡1,800

-4.26%

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

$2.21 ₡996

$2.40 ₡1,085

-7.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₡884

$1.87 ₡844

4.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₡1,357

$3.19 ₡1,442

-5.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ₡2,126

$4.33 ₡1,955

8.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,077

$1.98 ₡892

20.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,371

$2.19 ₡989

38.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,141

$2.39 ₡1,079

5.86%

Eggs

$5.07 ₡2,288

$2.60 ₡1,175

95.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,869

$10.78 ₡4,868

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₡4,654

$8.88 ₡4,010

16.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 ₡6,446

$12.11 ₡5,468

17.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,253

$4.95 ₡2,234

0.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.66 ₡749

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$4.75 ₡2,142

-31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,546

$3.42 ₡1,545

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$1.50 ₡676

112.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,452

$1.42 ₡641

126.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₡547

$0.99 ₡447

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,236

$1.99 ₡900

37.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 ₡2,511

$6.01 ₡2,712

-7.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,362

$13.81 ₡6,234

18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,154

$2.64 ₡1,192

-3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,234

$2.18 ₡986

25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,108

$2.49 ₡1,125

-1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.63 ₡735

-3.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡4,005

$8.53 ₡3,850

3.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.57 ₡707

-1.27%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

1.78%

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

$41.3K ₡18.7M

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-3.02%

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

$144 ₡65.2K

$79.6 ₡35.9K

81.56%

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

$44.11 ₡19.9K

$23.88 ₡10.8K

84.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$47.69 ₡21.5K

12.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$52.0 ₡23.5K

13.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,526

$7.72 ₡3,485

1.17%

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

$843 ₡380.8K

$479 ₡216.4K

75.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$7,442 ₡3.4M

129.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.8K

$25.50 ₡11.5K

176.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-1.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.1K

$127 ₡57.3K

1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₡56.5K

$133 ₡59.9K

-5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡368.5K

$748 ₡337.8K

9.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡282.5K

$526 ₡237.3K

19.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 ₡859.0K

$1,984 ₡895.8K

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 ₡563.9K

$1,099 ₡496.1K

13.68%

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)

$402 ₡181.4K

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 Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Ramon

$626 36.2%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 16% $100

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$380 22%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 14.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$242 14%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 37.7% $91

Eating Out

San Ramon

$220 12.7%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$171 9.9%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 10.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$75 4.3%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 9.7% $7.3

Getting Around

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 31.4% $4.9

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 $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Ramon vs $43 in Jaco Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $326 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

Same time as San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

💱 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

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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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,593 in San Ramon and $2,167 in Jaco Beach 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 $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $843 in San Ramon versus $479 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $62 in San Ramon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Ramon and Jaco Beach are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.