Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Rica vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Costa Rica is 6.8% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.6% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 10.3% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 7.0% more in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 8.7% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 19.1% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.2% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 9.4% less in Costa Rica
Expenses including childcare, groceries, clothing, housing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 3.6% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,971.04
|
$9.77
CRC4,880.19
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,947.41
|
$9.53
CRC4,761.82
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,026.81
|
$2.00
CRC999.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC835.67
|
$1.57
CRC785.08
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.3% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,317.25
|
$2.54
CRC1,268.71
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,473.70
|
$4.50
CRC2,248.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,886.78
|
$7.52
CRC3,757.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,436.38
|
$2.80
CRC1,396.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,980.43
|
$3.83
CRC1,911.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC968.17
|
$1.78
CRC890.98
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC326.42
|
$0.62
CRC307.17
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC972.45
|
$1.65
CRC822.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC789.93
|
$1.24
CRC620.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
CRC772.52
|
$1.28
CRC638.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC714.75
|
$1.10
CRC549.69
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of groceries
pay 7.0% more for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,691.16
|
$5.47
CRC2,732.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.21
CRC20,581.22
|
$54.59
CRC27,265.20
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,640.45
CRC18,800,156.60
|
$36,444.91
CRC18,203,023.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC8,049.44
|
$15.68
CRC7,831.07
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of transportation
pay 8.7% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.88
CRC29,406.17
|
$49.17
CRC24,560.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$891.63
CRC445,339.67
|
$805.28
CRC402,209.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$560.77
CRC280,086.69
|
$555.89
CRC277,647.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,403.62
|
$63.57
CRC31,751.02
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of housing
pay 19.1% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.27
CRC299,813.02
|
$517.09
CRC258,267.06
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,608.22
CRC6,297,388.02
|
$9,552.94
CRC4,771,377.42
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of childcare
pay 3.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,335.80
|
$2.59
CRC1,291.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,924.58
|
$3.84
CRC1,917.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.15
CRC2,572.65
|
$4.70
CRC2,347.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.98
CRC27,961.65
|
$58.68
CRC29,308.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.91
CRC4,947.41
|
$9.11
CRC4,548.62
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.4% less for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,838.85
|
$58.22
CRC29,077.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
CRC25,632.51
|
$44.70
CRC22,327.31
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.28
CRC60,075.69
|
$112.79
CRC56,335.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC53,432.02
|
$93.41
CRC46,653.65
|
|
San Jose vs. Costa Rica - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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