Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,676 a month against $1,739 in San Ramon, rent and utilities included – about $760 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
81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,739

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 San Isidro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,739 in San Ramon versus $1,676 in San Isidro.

San Ramon $1,739
San Isidro $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in San Ramon versus $2,650 in San Isidro.

San Ramon $2,736
San Isidro $2,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,733 in San Ramon versus $3,623 in San Isidro.

San Ramon $3,733
San Isidro $3,623

Living in San Ramon is roughly 4% more expensive than in San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Ramon 29% above, San Isidro 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.12 ₡5,450

$11.90 ₡5,353

1.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 ₡25.8K

$57.6 ₡25.9K

-0.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 ₡5,240

$11.51 ₡5,177

1.22%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ₡1,850

$4.22 ₡1,897

-2.61%

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

$2.65 ₡1,191

$2.50 ₡1,123

6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡829

$1.86 ₡837

-1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ₡1,450

$3.34 ₡1,504

-3.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,011

$4.38 ₡1,972

2.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,076

$2.34 ₡1,050

2.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 ₡1,321

$3.02 ₡1,356

-2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,138

$2.50 ₡1,122

1.20%

Eggs

$5.03 ₡2,261

$3.43 ₡1,543

46.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.90 ₡4,901

$10.72 ₡4,822

1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,724

$10.66 ₡4,795

-1.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 ₡6,248

$14.17 ₡6,374

-1.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 ₡2,236

$4.96 ₡2,229

0.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡703

$1.67 ₡750

-6.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$3.28 ₡1,474

3.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,528

$3.52 ₡1,584

-3.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 ₡1,413

$2.86 ₡1,284

9.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,450

$3.16 ₡1,419

1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₡560

$1.03 ₡463

20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,197

$2.65 ₡1,192

0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 ₡2,623

$5.63 ₡2,531

3.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.18 ₡7,276

$16.48 ₡7,412

-1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,173

$2.64 ₡1,185

-1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,237

$2.71 ₡1,220

1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡585

$1.30 ₡583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$2.22 ₡997

12.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.83 ₡822

-15.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,938

$8.65 ₡3,891

1.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.52 ₡682

-1.32%

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

$33.9K ₡15.2M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-2.25%

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

$41.2K ₡18.5M

$40.6K ₡18.3M

1.45%

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

$145 ₡65.2K

$93.6 ₡42.1K

54.97%

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

$43.72 ₡19.7K

$30.02 ₡13.5K

45.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 ₡23.8K

$59.9 ₡26.9K

-11.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.4 ₡30.8K

$66.6 ₡30.0K

2.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,559

$7.97 ₡3,584

-0.75%

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

$850 ₡382.3K

$857 ₡385.5K

-0.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$15.9K ₡7.2M

8.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 ₡31.8K

$69.2 ₡31.1K

2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 ₡25.0K

$48.22 ₡21.7K

15.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.6K

$127 ₡57.2K

0.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₡58.2K

$138 ₡62.2K

-6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$804 ₡361.7K

$809 ₡364.0K

-0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 ₡279.4K

$624 ₡280.7K

-0.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 ₡868.1K

$1,908 ₡858.1K

1.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 ₡567.3K

$1,245 ₡559.9K

1.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 ₡521.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 ₡523.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₡495.2K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Isidro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Ramon

$621 35.7%

San Isidro

$624 37.3% 0.5% $2.8

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$379 21.8%

San Isidro

$373 22.3% 1.5% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$242 13.9%

San Isidro

$184 11% 24.1% $58

Eating Out

San Ramon

$224 12.9%

San Isidro

$223 13.3% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$173 9.9%

San Isidro

$172 10.3% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$84 4.8%

San Isidro

$83 4.9% 1.9% $1.6

Getting Around

San Ramon

$15 * 0.9%

San Isidro

$17 * 1% 7.2% $1.1

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 $804 in San Ramon and $809 in San Isidro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in San Ramon vs $58 in San Isidro. Groceries flip the comparison at $379 vs $373, with San Isidro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

Same time as San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

17,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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San Ramon San Isidro 52 km

From you

San Ramon
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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 San Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Isidro wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in San Ramon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making San Isidro the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,608 in San Ramon and $2,513 in San Isidro 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: $804 in San Ramon versus $809 in San Isidro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $850 in San Ramon versus $857 in San Isidro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,739 per month in San Ramon versus $1,676 in San Isidro – San Isidro is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though San Isidro gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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