Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and San Jose Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and San Jose

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz is 1% more expensive than San Jose without rent, and 2.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 12.7% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 5.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 ₡5,562

$10.76 ₡5,385

3.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.7 ₡29.4K

$59 ₡29.5K

-0.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 ₡4,844

$9.85 ₡4,931

-1.73%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₡1,972

$3.88 ₡1,942

1.55%

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

$2.07 ₡1,036

$1.96 ₡983

5.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₡823

$1.59 ₡794

3.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 ₡1,510

$3.04 ₡1,522

-0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ₡2,292

$4.59 ₡2,300

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ₡998

$2.02 ₡1,013

-1.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 ₡1,427

$2.88 ₡1,443

-1.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 ₡1,107

$2.13 ₡1,067

3.76%

Eggs

$2.95 ₡1,475

$2.94 ₡1,472

0.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 ₡4,850

$9.69 ₡4,852

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 ₡4,531

$9.22 ₡4,617

-1.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 ₡6,783

$13.64 ₡6,831

-0.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.6 ₡2,301

$4.47 ₡2,238

2.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 ₡489

$1.45 ₡728

-32.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,194

$4.38 ₡2,192

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,791

$3.55 ₡1,779

0.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₡1,777

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,546

$3.25 ₡1,628

-4.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1 ₡502

$1.04 ₡519

-3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.8 ₡1,403

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 ₡2,615

$5.43 ₡2,716

-3.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.14 ₡9,581

$18.98 ₡9,503

0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.5 ₡1,250

$2.41 ₡1,205

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,469

$2.92 ₡1,461

0.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡517

$1 ₡501

3.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.57 ₡20.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡909

$1.88 ₡939

-3.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡889

$1.86 ₡930

-4.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.75 ₡3,879

$7.8 ₡3,904

-0.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₡734

$1.4 ₡699

5.00%

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

$38K ₡19M

$37.7K ₡18.9M

0.65%

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

$33.2K ₡16.6M

$32.7K ₡16.4M

1.43%

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

$95.2 ₡47.7K

$92.9 ₡46.5K

2.54%

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

$26.25 ₡13.1K

$25.98 ₡13K

1.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡26.8K

$60.2 ₡30.1K

-10.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 ₡29K

$56.2 ₡28.2K

2.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.63 ₡11.8K

$38.51 ₡19.3K

-38.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.9 ₡2,955

$9.89 ₡4,953

-40.34%

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

$575 ₡288K

$567 ₡283.6K

1.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡6.3M

$12.8K ₡6.4M

-2.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 ₡31.6K

$63.5 ₡31.8K

-0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 ₡26.1K

$50.8 ₡25.4K

2.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡63.3K

$125 ₡62.6K

1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ₡52.8K

$107 ₡53.7K

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₡381.8K

$865 ₡433K

-11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₡293.3K

$536 ₡268.3K

9.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 ₡748K

$1,427 ₡714.5K

4.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$978 ₡489.7K

$1,034 ₡517.9K

-5.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,869 ₡1.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 ₡849.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ₡498.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2025

Last update for San Jose: October 29, 2025

Similar cities

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia