Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Ramon and San Rafael

For one person, living costs are similar in San Ramon and in San Rafael: $1,759 and $1,721 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,759

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,759 per month in San Ramon vs $1,721 in San Rafael, rent included.

San Ramon $1,759
San Rafael $1,721

A couple spends around $2,751 per month in San Ramon vs $2,738 in San Rafael, rent included.

San Ramon $2,751
San Rafael $2,738

A family of three spends $3,744 per month in San Ramon vs $3,756 in San Rafael, rent included.

San Ramon $3,744
San Rafael $3,756

San Ramon costs about 2% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Ramon and San Rafael sit above the global median – San Ramon by 30%, San Rafael by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 ₡5,402

$12.09 ₡5,423

-0.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₡25.6K

$62.1 ₡27.8K

-7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 ₡5,109

$11.61 ₡5,205

-1.89%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ₡1,844

$4.38 ₡1,964

-6.16%

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

$2.53 ₡1,134

$2.76 ₡1,238

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.86 ₡836

3.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$3.19 ₡1,431

1.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,023

$4.46 ₡2,001

1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,094

$2.30 ₡1,033

6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 ₡1,312

$3.16 ₡1,416

-7.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.49 ₡1,115

0.80%

Eggs

$5.05 ₡2,266

$3.40 ₡1,525

48.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.60 ₡4,752

$10.61 ₡4,757

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 ₡4,750

$10.46 ₡4,692

1.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.85 ₡6,212

$13.93 ₡6,245

-0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 ₡2,297

$5.01 ₡2,248

2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.64 ₡735

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 ₡1,489

$4.63 ₡2,075

-28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 ₡1,550

$3.98 ₡1,783

-13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 ₡1,410

$3.73 ₡1,673

-15.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,438

$3.70 ₡1,661

-13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₡547

$1.07 ₡482

14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,207

$3.09 ₡1,384

-12.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 ₡2,515

$5.81 ₡2,604

-3.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 ₡7,304

$19.82 ₡8,887

-17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₡1,130

$2.75 ₡1,234

-8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₡1,167

$3.50 ₡1,570

-25.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ₡609

$1.36 ₡610

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,099

$2.38 ₡1,065

2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.55 ₡694

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 ₡3,833

$8.74 ₡3,921

-2.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡674

$1.56 ₡701

-3.85%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

3.47%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$34.9K ₡15.6M

2.15%

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

$141 ₡63.2K

$94.7 ₡42.5K

48.65%

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

$44.36 ₡19.9K

$36.17 ₡16.2K

22.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 ₡24.3K

$59.2 ₡26.5K

-8.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$74.3 ₡33.3K

-1.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$7.66 ₡3,435

1.04%

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

$857 ₡384.5K

$984 ₡441.2K

-12.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-2.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$72.3 ₡32.4K

-2.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.2K

$55.8 ₡25.0K

0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.0K

$128 ₡57.6K

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.2K

$130 ₡58.2K

1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.2K

$815 ₡365.4K

-0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡286.8K

$627 ₡281.0K

2.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 ₡840.4K

$1,902 ₡852.8K

-1.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 ₡567.2K

$1,269 ₡569.1K

-0.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,169 ₡524.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,155 ₡518.0K

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 20, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Ramon

$640 36.4%

San Rafael

$627 36.4% 2% $13

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$379 21.6%

San Rafael

$398 23.1% 4.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$239 13.6%

San Rafael

$190 11.1% 20.6% $49

Eating Out

San Ramon

$223 12.7%

San Rafael

$227 13.2% 2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$174 9.9%

San Rafael

$174 10.1% 0.1% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$89 5%

San Rafael

$90 5.2% 1.2% $1.1

Getting Around

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9%

San Rafael

$16 * 0.9% 3.2% $0.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in San Ramon versus $815 in San Rafael. 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 $57.0 in San Ramon versus $62.0 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $398 – making San Ramon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

Same time as San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

30,000

💱 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 Ramon San Rafael 41 km

From you

San Ramon
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,759 in San Ramon, $1,721 in San Rafael – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,639 per month in San Ramon and $2,581 in San Rafael. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in San Ramon and $62.0 in San Rafael. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in San Ramon – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,721, than in San Ramon at $1,759. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Ramon 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with San Rafael. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Ramon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.