Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ventanas and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventanas: $794 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Ventanas
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Ventanas Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ventanas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$794

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $794 per month in Ventanas vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Ventanas $794
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,368 per month in Ventanas vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Ventanas $1,368
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $1,941 per month in Ventanas vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Ventanas $1,941
San Jose $3,934

Ventanas is about 59% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ventanas sits 41% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 $4.09

$12.38 ₡5,551

-66.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 $52.8

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-13.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 $9.10

$11.45 ₡5,135

-20.52%

Cappuccino

$2.84 $2.84

$4.39 ₡1,967

-35.31%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$2.70 ₡1,211

-67.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.93 ₡864

-63.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.20 ₡1,433

-3.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 $4.13

$4.41 ₡1,979

-6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.44 ₡1,093

-50.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.05 ₡1,369

-34.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.41 ₡1,081

-39.00%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$3.40 ₡1,523

-39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$10.75 ₡4,823

-36.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$10.43 ₡4,679

-51.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$13.99 ₡6,273

-34.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$5.25 ₡2,353

-70.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.59 ₡712

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$4.69 ₡2,103

-78.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 $0.90

$3.95 ₡1,770

-77.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.92 ₡1,760

-68.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.68 ₡1,651

-73.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.12 ₡503

-21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$3.19 ₡1,429

-70.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 $5.99

$6.00 ₡2,692

-0.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 $11.87

$19.56 ₡8,771

-39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.82 ₡1,263

-44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.59 ₡1,611

-39.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.12 ₡503

-70.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 $17.38

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-73.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.50 ₡1,119

-46.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.63 ₡733

5.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.98 $11.98

$8.50 ₡3,812

40.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 ₡701

-45.51%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

-7.51%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-11.48%

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

$39.46 $39.46

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-58.56%

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

$14.92 $14.92

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-58.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.27 $26.27

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-55.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 $31.36

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-56.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.54 $15.54

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-37.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 $7.67

$7.58 ₡3,401

1.19%

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

$374 $374

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-62.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,644 $5,644

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-67.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.14 $41.14

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-26.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$130 ₡58.2K

-2.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 $91.8

$131 ₡58.7K

-29.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 $312

$927 ₡415.8K

-66.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 $167

$774 ₡347.2K

-78.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 $681

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-65.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 $402

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-68.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,128 $1,128

$2,274 ₡1.0M

-50.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$726 $726

$1,831 ₡821.0K

-60.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.62

16.59%

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

Last update for Ventanas: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ventanas

$200 25.2%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 101% $201

Accommodation & Living

Ventanas

$167 21.1%

San Jose

$774 40% 363% $607

Clothing & Footwear

Ventanas

$147 18.5%

San Jose

$174 9% 18.5% $27

Eating Out

Ventanas

$124 15.6%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 84.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ventanas

$81 10.2%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 135% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Ventanas

$47 5.9%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 88.1% $41

Getting Around

Ventanas

$29 3.6%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 186% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Ventanas 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 $53.0 in Ventanas versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $401 – making Ventanas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ventanas

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h behind Ventanas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,168

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

Ventanas San Jose 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ventanas
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

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,191 per month in Ventanas 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 Ventanas, 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 $53.0 in Ventanas 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 $794 in Ventanas and $1,938 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 144%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ventanas, where all-in costs run around $794, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Ventanas it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Ventanas. 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.