Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,100 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,100

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,100 per month in Tepic vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Tepic $1,100
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,808 per month in Tepic vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Tepic $1,808
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Tepic vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Tepic $2,516
San Jose $3,934

Tepic is about 43% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tepic sits 18% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$249

$12.38 ₡5,551

8.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.40 MX$820

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-27.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$170

$11.45 ₡5,135

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$3.24 MX$59.9

$4.39 ₡1,967

-26.20%

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

$1.73 MX$31.90

$2.70 ₡1,211

-35.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 MX$22.64

$1.93 ₡864

-36.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.20 ₡1,433

-12.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 MX$92.8

$4.41 ₡1,979

13.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.89

$2.44 ₡1,093

-38.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 MX$45.20

$3.05 ₡1,369

-19.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.24

$2.41 ₡1,081

-29.88%

Eggs

$2.11 MX$38.94

$3.40 ₡1,523

-37.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$10.75 ₡4,823

-54.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$175

$10.43 ₡4,679

-9.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.69 MX$216

$13.99 ₡6,273

-16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MX$52.0

$5.25 ₡2,353

-46.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.26

$1.59 ₡712

-0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.53

$4.69 ₡2,103

-57.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.72

$3.95 ₡1,770

-53.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.37

$3.92 ₡1,760

-48.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.77

$3.68 ₡1,651

-50.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.98

$1.12 ₡503

30.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.83

$3.19 ₡1,429

-66.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.8

$6.00 ₡2,692

-29.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 MX$195

$19.56 ₡8,771

-46.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.44

$2.82 ₡1,263

-72.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$62.1

$3.59 ₡1,611

-6.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 MX$15.42

$1.12 ₡503

-25.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 MX$41.34

$2.50 ₡1,119

-10.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 MX$24.65

$1.63 ₡733

-18.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MX$222

$8.50 ₡3,812

41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.56 ₡701

-8.33%

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

$21.2K MX$392.2K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-5.28%

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

$23.9K MX$441.4K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-32.87%

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

$44.05 MX$814

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-53.74%

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

$12.13 MX$224

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-65.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.94 MX$572

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-47.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.03 MX$629

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-53.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 MX$376

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-18.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 MX$122

$7.58 ₡3,401

-12.66%

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

$253 MX$4,676

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-74.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MX$198.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-37.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MX$1,105

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-15.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.45 MX$729

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,998

$130 ₡58.2K

-16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.4 MX$1,542

$131 ₡58.7K

-36.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,568

$927 ₡415.8K

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 MX$6,658

$774 ₡347.2K

-53.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 MX$19.0K

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-47.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 MX$13.9K

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-41.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 MX$33.9K

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-19.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 MX$20.8K

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-38.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 MX$12.1K

$1,016 ₡455.8K

-35.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

8.62

35.50%

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

Last update for Tepic: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tepic

$360 32.7%

San Jose

$774 40% 115% $414

Groceries & Markets

Tepic

$253 23%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 58.7% $148

Eating Out

Tepic

$210 19.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 9.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Tepic

$131 11.9%

San Jose

$174 9% 33% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tepic

$87 7.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 117% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Tepic

$47 4.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 85.8% $41

Getting Around

Tepic

$12 * 1.1%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 569% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Tepic 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.

Salaries run about 55% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Tepic versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $401 – making Tepic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tepic

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

1 h ahead of Tepic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,387

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tepic San Jose 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tepic
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

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 76%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,651 per month in Tepic 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 Tepic, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,100 in Tepic and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 76%.

Kindergarten costs $253 per month in Tepic and $1,001 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tepic, where all-in costs run around $1,100, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Tepic it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tepic – 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 Tepic. 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.