Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and San Ramon

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,530 a month against $1,739 in San Ramon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Teresa and in San Ramon

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Santa Teresa vs $1,739 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Teresa $1,530
San Ramon $1,739

A couple spends around $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa vs $2,736 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Teresa $2,295
San Ramon $2,736

A family of three spends $3,061 per month in Santa Teresa vs $3,733 in San Ramon, rent included.

Santa Teresa $3,061
San Ramon $3,733

Santa Teresa is about 12% cheaper than San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Teresa and San Ramon sit above the global median – Santa Teresa by 13%, San Ramon by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,459

$12.12 ₡5,459

-18.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.1K

$57.5 ₡25.9K

-26.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,374

$11.65 ₡5,248

-16.65%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,667

$4.11 ₡1,853

-9.98%

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

$2.04 ₡917

$2.65 ₡1,193

-23.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.84 ₡830

-11.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,366

$3.22 ₡1,453

-5.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,048

$4.47 ₡2,014

1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡925

$2.39 ₡1,078

-14.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,270

$2.94 ₡1,324

-4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡972

$2.53 ₡1,140

-14.62%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,344

$5.03 ₡2,265

-40.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,509

$10.90 ₡4,910

-8.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,042

$10.51 ₡4,732

-14.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,127

$13.89 ₡6,258

-2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,052

$4.97 ₡2,240

-8.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡651

$1.56 ₡704

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,856

$3.39 ₡1,529

21.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$3.40 ₡1,530

-9.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$3.14 ₡1,415

7.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,161

$3.22 ₡1,453

-19.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡455

$1.24 ₡561

-18.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,282

$2.66 ₡1,199

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,292

$5.83 ₡2,628

-12.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,211

$16.18 ₡7,288

-14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$2.61 ₡1,175

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,179

$2.75 ₡1,239

-4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡433

$1.30 ₡586

-26.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡830

$2.50 ₡1,125

-26.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡826

$1.55 ₡697

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,580

$8.76 ₡3,944

-9.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡659

$1.50 ₡674

-2.67%

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

$38.4K ₡17.3M

$33.9K ₡15.2M

13.39%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$41.2K ₡18.6M

-20.62%

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

$84.9 ₡38.2K

$145 ₡65.3K

-41.48%

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

$26.16 ₡11.8K

$43.72 ₡19.7K

-40.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.7K

$53.0 ₡23.9K

-4.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$68.4 ₡30.8K

-26.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡4,004

$7.91 ₡3,565

12.39%

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

$573 ₡257.9K

$850 ₡382.9K

-32.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-28.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$70.8 ₡31.9K

-12.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡23.0K

$55.7 ₡25.1K

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$128 ₡57.7K

-0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.0K

$129 ₡58.3K

-17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡318.2K

$804 ₡362.3K

-12.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡266.6K

$621 ₡279.9K

-4.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡657.9K

$1,930 ₡869.5K

-24.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡430.0K

$1,261 ₡568.2K

-24.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 ₡522.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,165 ₡524.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

8.62

17.98%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

San Ramon

$621 35.7% 5% $30

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

San Ramon

$379 21.8% 9.4% $33

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

San Ramon

$224 12.9% 17% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

San Ramon

$242 13.9% 49.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

San Ramon

$173 9.9% 10.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

San Ramon

$84 4.8% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

San Ramon

$15 * 0.9% 3.8% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $706 in Santa Teresa versus $804 in San Ramon. 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 $42 in Santa Teresa versus $57 in San Ramon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $379 – making Santa Teresa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

Same time as Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

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

On the map

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Santa Teresa San Ramon 92 km

From you

Santa Teresa
San Ramon

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 Teresa vs San Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,530 in Santa Teresa, $1,739 in San Ramon – Santa Teresa comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa and $2,608 in San Ramon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Teresa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $706 there versus $804 in San Ramon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $1,739 in San Ramon. That makes Santa Teresa about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $573 per month in Santa Teresa and $850 in San Ramon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $1,739 in San Ramon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Teresa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.