Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Juan vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
San Juan is 23.2% more expensive than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 22.8% more in San Juan
- Groceries
-
pay 24.4% more in San Juan
- Transportation
-
pay 21.3% less in San Juan
- Housing
-
pay 2.4 times more in San Juan
- Childcare
-
pay 19.6% less in San Juan
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 28.5% more in San Juan
- Clothing
-
pay 9.4% less in San Juan
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in San Juan are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including transportation, childcare, and clothing are lower in San Juan. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in San Juan.
San Juan vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Juan instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 22.8% more for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,947.81
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$11.58
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,022.01
|
$1.84
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC831.76
|
$1.40
|
|
San Jose vs. San Juan - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.4% more for groceries
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,311.09
|
$3.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,462.15
|
$4.74
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,868.62
|
$8.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,429.67
|
$6.42
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,971.17
|
$3.85
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC963.65
|
$2.56
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC324.89
|
$1.09
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC967.90
|
$1.77
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC786.24
|
$1.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
CRC768.91
|
$1.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC711.41
|
$1.12
|
|
San Jose vs. San Juan - Cost of groceries
pay 21.3% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,678.58
|
$3.65
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.21
CRC20,485.06
|
$30.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,640.45
CRC18,712,315.88
|
$36,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC8,011.83
|
?? | |
San Jose vs. San Juan - Cost of transportation
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.88
CRC29,268.77
|
$77.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$891.63
CRC443,258.89
|
$1,258.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$560.77
CRC278,778.03
|
$765.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,242.87
|
$370.88
|
|
San Jose vs. San Juan - Cost of housing
pay 19.6% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.27
CRC298,412.20
|
$470.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,608.22
CRC6,267,964.49
|
$10,400.00
|
|
San Jose vs. San Juan - Cost of childcare
pay 28.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,329.56
|
$3.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,915.58
|
$3.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.15
CRC2,560.63
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.98
CRC27,831.01
|
$41.66
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.91
CRC4,924.29
|
$12.50
|
|
San Jose vs. San Juan - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.4% less for clothing
|
San Jose
|
San Juan
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,694.76
|
$47.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
CRC25,512.74
|
$56.25
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.28
CRC59,794.99
|
$88.33
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC53,182.37
|
$110.00
|
|
San Jose vs. San Juan - 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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