Cost of Living in San José, 🇨🇷 Costa Rica - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Jun 8, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Utilities $109 $87 $153 $98 —

Internet & Mobile $65 $65 $87 $55 $4

Groceries $109 $436 $763 $327 $11

Transportation $87 $65 $327 $65 $22

Dining Out $1,308 $436 $327 $131 $55

Leisure Activities $218 $174 $218 $44 $22

Health Insurance $109 $218 $436 $44 —

Visa & Legal Fees $44 $109 $109 $11 —

Housing $1,527 $981 $1,308 $545 $153

Total $3,576 $2,571 $3,728 $1,320 $267

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $697.84 per month

Coworking Space $261.69 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $1,962.66 per month

Coliving Space $1,090.37 per month

Food & Dining

Beer $3.27 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $9.81 per meal

Fast Food Combo $11.99 per meal

Apples $4.36 per kg

Bread $2.62 per loaf

Milk $2.40 per liter

Rice $1.96 per kg

Chicken Fillets $11.99 per kg

Beef $16.36 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $21.81 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $98.13 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $2.18 per bottle

Coffee $3.93 per cup

Transportation

Taxi Start $2.18 per trip

Taxi per km $1.53 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $65.42 per month

Gasoline $1.53 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $8.72 per trip

Scooter Rental $32.71 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $21.81 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $65.42 per month

Gym Membership $76.33 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $32.71 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $10.90 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $10.90 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $98.13 per pair

Summer Dress $65.42 per dress

Running Shoes $130.84 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $21.81 per visit

Laundry $10.90 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $76.33 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $17.45 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Jun 8, 2026
Generated by: deepseek-v4-flash · cost run 44
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 458.5607 CRC

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

San José cost of living