Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana, Costa Rica and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $2,000 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,000

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Ana and in San Jose

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

A single person spends $2,000 per month in Santa Ana vs $2,105 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Ana $2,000
San Jose $2,105

A couple spends around $3,255 per month in Santa Ana vs $3,074 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Ana $3,255
San Jose $3,074

A family of three spends $4,510 per month in Santa Ana vs $4,043 in San Jose, rent included.

Santa Ana $4,510
San Jose $4,043

Santa Ana is about 5% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Ana and San Jose sit above the global median – Santa Ana by 47%, San Jose by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 ₡5,481

$12.43 ₡5,612

-2.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 ₡28.0K

$60.9 ₡27.5K

1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,349

$11.72 ₡5,291

1.11%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,039

$4.47 ₡2,020

1.12%

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

$2.23 ₡1,007

$2.75 ₡1,242

-18.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₡602

$1.92 ₡867

-30.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,527

$3.26 ₡1,471

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,971

$4.45 ₡2,009

-1.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₡1,020

$2.36 ₡1,063

-4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,414

$3.09 ₡1,393

1.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$2.40 ₡1,084

4.17%

Eggs

$3.58 ₡1,618

$3.44 ₡1,554

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,854

$10.73 ₡4,843

0.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,798

$10.36 ₡4,676

2.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,283

$13.84 ₡6,246

0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,271

$5.15 ₡2,324

-2.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.65 ₡746

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,127

$4.67 ₡2,110

0.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,770

$3.98 ₡1,799

-1.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,703

$3.90 ₡1,762

-3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,635

$3.65 ₡1,648

-0.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.08 ₡488

3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡837

$3.10 ₡1,399

-40.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.77 ₡2,606

$6.08 ₡2,746

-5.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ₡8,005

$20.05 ₡9,051

-11.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,270

$2.77 ₡1,252

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$3.69 ₡1,667

-28.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$2.49 ₡1,123

-3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.63 ₡736

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,917

$8.47 ₡3,823

2.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.57 ₡708

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

$28.1K ₡12.7M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-18.77%

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

$37.6K ₡17.0M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-11.24%

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

$94.4 ₡42.6K

$93.2 ₡42.1K

1.37%

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

$33.36 ₡15.1K

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-7.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-15.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$158 ₡71.3K

$69.0 ₡31.2K

129.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 ₡9,945

$24.80 ₡11.2K

-11.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,570

$7.85 ₡3,544

0.76%

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

$993 ₡448.3K

$996 ₡449.6K

-0.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

0.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₡29.7K

$70.1 ₡31.7K

-6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 ₡25.7K

$55.2 ₡24.9K

3.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$130 ₡58.6K

-0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.6K

$131 ₡59.2K

0.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 ₡491.4K

$1,164 ₡525.5K

-6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 ₡388.0K

$945 ₡426.6K

-9.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 ₡1.3M

$1,993 ₡899.8K

46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 ₡856.3K

$1,404 ₡633.7K

35.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 ₡1.2M

$2,727 ₡1.2M

-0.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,693 ₡764.4K

$2,040 ₡921.2K

-17.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 ₡640.0K

$1,011 ₡456.3K

40.26%

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 Santa Ana: October 24, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$859 43%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 9.9% $85

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 19%

San Jose

$399 19% 5.4% $20

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$227 11.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 2.4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$178 8.9%

San Jose

$188 9% 5.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$174 8.7%

San Jose

$85 4% 51.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 0.7% $1.3

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 704% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Santa Ana versus $1,164 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 40% higher in Santa Ana, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Santa Ana versus $61 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Santa Ana vs $399 in San Jose – so Santa Ana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

Same time as Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

342,188 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana San Jose 11 km

From you

Santa Ana
San Jose

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

Santa Ana vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,000 per month in Santa Ana and $3,158 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,088 in Santa Ana and $1,164 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 5% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $993 per month in Santa Ana and $996 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Ana costs $2,000 versus $2,105 in San Jose. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.