Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tena and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $831 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$831

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tena 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 Tena and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $831 per month in Tena vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Tena $831
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,425 per month in Tena vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Tena $1,425
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $2,018 per month in Tena vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Tena $2,018
San Jose $3,934

Tena is about 57% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tena sits 38% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 $6.03

$12.38 ₡5,551

-51.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 $54.9

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$11.45 ₡5,135

-33.54%

Cappuccino

$3.39 $3.39

$4.39 ₡1,967

-22.78%

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

$1.38 $1.38

$2.70 ₡1,211

-48.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.93 ₡864

-43.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.20 ₡1,433

7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.41 ₡1,979

38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.44 ₡1,093

-52.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 $1.53

$3.05 ₡1,369

-49.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.41 ₡1,081

-35.27%

Eggs

$2.16 $2.16

$3.40 ₡1,523

-36.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$10.75 ₡4,823

-40.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$10.43 ₡4,679

-46.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 $7.77

$13.99 ₡6,273

-44.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$5.25 ₡2,353

-57.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.59 ₡712

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$4.69 ₡2,103

-72.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.95 ₡1,770

-71.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$3.92 ₡1,760

-69.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$3.68 ₡1,651

-70.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.12 ₡503

-17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$3.19 ₡1,429

-67.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$6.00 ₡2,692

-2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 $9.91

$19.56 ₡8,771

-49.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.82 ₡1,263

-43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$3.59 ₡1,611

-11.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.12 ₡503

-70.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.94 $16.94

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-74.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.50 ₡1,119

-39.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.63 ₡733

-53.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 $9.95

$8.50 ₡3,812

17.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.56 ₡701

-48.72%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-5.09%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-19.88%

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

$29.16 $29.16

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-69.38%

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

$17.66 $17.66

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-50.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 $28.72

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.43 $32.43

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-55.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.44 $15.44

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-37.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 $6.45

$7.58 ₡3,401

-14.91%

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

$226 $226

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-77.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,840 $8,840

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-48.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-9.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$130 ₡58.2K

-12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$131 ₡58.7K

-18.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 $300

$927 ₡415.8K

-67.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$774 ₡347.2K

-76.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 $728

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-62.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 $417

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-67.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,120 $1,120

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-50.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 $717

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-60.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

8.62

17.40%

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

Last update for Tena: October 10, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tena

$197 23.8%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 103% $204

Accommodation & Living

Tena

$186 22.3%

San Jose

$774 40% 317% $589

Clothing & Footwear

Tena

$153 18.4%

San Jose

$174 9% 13.8% $21

Eating Out

Tena

$151 18.2%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 51.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tena

$76 9.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 151% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Tena

$45 5.5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 93.8% $43

Getting Around

Tena

$24 2.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 248% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $300 in Tena versus $927 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Tena versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $401 – making Tena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tena

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

1 h behind Tena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,669

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tena San Jose 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tena
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

Tena vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,247 per month in Tena and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tena, 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 $55.0 in Tena and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $831 in Tena and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 133%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tena, where all-in costs run around $831, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Tena it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tena – 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 Tena. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.