# San Jose — relocation profile

San Jose, Costa Rica · Full democracy · livability 60/100

## At a glance

- **Country:** Costa Rica
- **Region:** North America
- **Estimated monthly cost of living (solo, renting in the centre):** $2,417/month
- **Livability score:** 60 / 100 (rank 97 of 132 Townleap cities)
- **Settler safety score:** 36 / 100 (rank 112 of 132)
- **Cost vs New York City:** 74% cheaper
- **Also appears in:** Remote Workers, Lowest Crime, Budget Maximizers, Rising Stars, Remote Work Visa Cities, Fresh Start Cities, Hidden Gems, Family-Friendly Cities, Retire Abroad, Young Professionals, Open Door Cities, Leaving the UK

## Cost of living

| Item | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Rent — 1-bed, city centre | $998 |
| Rent — 1-bed, outside centre | $700 |
| Rent — 3-bed, city centre | $1,792 |
| Average net salary (after tax) | $1,061 |
| **Total monthly cost (solo, rent included)** | **$2,417** |

One-off cost to land (deposit, agency fee, furnishing, first admin): $2,946.

Reference point: 74% cheaper than NYC.

## Settling

- **Democracy index (EIU, 0–10):** 8.3
- **Regime type:** Full democracy
- **Homicide rate:** 17.7 per 100,000/year
- **Time to permanent residency:** 3 years
- **Time to citizenship:** 7 years
- **English proficiency:** Moderate (EF EPI 516)
- **Main languages:** Spanish

## Day to day

- **Summer (low–high):** 17–25°C
- **Winter (low–high):** 16–25°C
- **Internet speed:** 81.75 Mbps
- **Healthcare index (0–100):** 62.9
- **Natural features:** mountains

## Economy

- **GDP per capita:** $31,107 (2024, country-level)
- **Inflation:** -0.4% (2024)
- **Unemployment:** 6.8% (2025)
- **Population:** 335,007

## Similar cities

| City | Country | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly cost | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Atenas | Costa Rica | $650 | $1,169 | /cities/atenas |
| Tenerife | Spain | $1,217 | $2,964 | /cities/tenerife |
| Ajijic | Mexico | $879 | $1,943 | /cities/ajijic |
| Boquete | Panama | $725 | $1,618 | /cities/boquete |
| Mexico City | Mexico | $1,173 | $2,641 | /cities/mexico-city |

## Related pages

- Cost of living breakdown: /cost-of-living/san-jose
- Compare with another city: /cities/compare
- Visa and residency paths: /cities/san-jose/visa

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cities/san-jose) — permanent-relocation data for people picking a country to actually live in, not visit.

Cost figures are Numbeo-derived and in USD unless labelled otherwise. Economics are World Bank. Every number on this page is also on the HTML page at the same URL — this variant exists so you do not have to parse a React app to read a rent figure.