Cost of living comparison

compared to

Saint John's vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary

Saint John's is 0.8% more expensive than San Jose.

Restaurants
pay 2.4% more in Saint John's
Groceries
pay 36.0% more in Saint John's
Transportation
pay 66.5% more in Saint John's
Housing
pay 28.6% more in Saint John's
Childcare
pay 85.3% less in Saint John's
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% less in Saint John's
Clothing
pay 28.8% less in Saint John's

The cost of transportation, groceries, housing, and restaurants in Saint John's are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Saint John's.

Saint John's vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Saint John's instead of San Jose, you would:

pay 2.4% more for restaurants

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $9.95
CRC4,947.81
$13.88
EC$37.50
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
$11.10
EC$30.00
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.06
CRC1,022.01
$2.07
EC$5.60

Improve prices ·

pay 36.0% more for groceries

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Bread
1 loaf
$2.64
CRC1,311.09
$2.78
EC$7.50
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.95
CRC2,462.15
$4.07
EC$11.00
Milk (1 gallon) $7.78
CRC3,868.62
$8.40
EC$22.71

Improve prices ·

pay 66.5% more for transportation

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.39
CRC2,678.58
$6.29
EC$17.00
Monthly public transit pass $41.21
CRC20,485.06
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $37,640.45
CRC18,712,315.88
$23,681.34
EC$64,000.00

Improve prices ·

pay 28.6% more for housing

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$58.88
CRC29,268.77
$77.58
EC$209.67
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $891.63
CRC443,258.89
$1,048.39
EC$2,833.33
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $560.77
CRC278,778.03
$678.37
EC$1,833.33

Improve prices ·

pay 85.3% less for childcare

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $600.27
CRC298,412.20
??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,608.22
CRC6,267,964.49
$1,850.10
EC$5,000.00

Improve prices ·

pay 13.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.67
CRC1,329.56
$1.85
EC$5.00
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.85
CRC1,915.58
$3.95
EC$10.67
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.15
CRC2,560.63
??

Improve prices ·

pay 28.8% less for clothing

 
San Jose
Saint John's
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$61.74
CRC30,694.76
$50.00
EC$135.13
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$51.32
CRC25,512.74
??
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$120.28
CRC59,794.99
$74.00
EC$200.00

Improve prices ·
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
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Costa Rica vs. Antigua and Barbuda. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Costa Rica and Antigua and Barbuda.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Saint John's or San Jose. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.