# Cost of living in San Jose

What it costs to live in San Jose, Costa Rica — $1,600/month for one person renting a 1-bedroom in the centre, all-in.

## Monthly budgets by household

| Household | Total USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Single | $1,600 |
| Couple | $2,031 |
| Family (4) | $5,162 |
| Retirees | $2,031 |

Each total is rent plus food, utilities, transport, and the usual recurring costs — not a bare rent figure.

## Where the money goes (Single)

| Category | USD / month | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rent | $998 | 1BR |
| Groceries & eating out | $330 |  |
| Transport | $66 |  |
| Utilities & phones | $205 |  |

## Rent

| Apartment | USD / month |
| --- | --- |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | $700 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | $998 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | $1,170 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | $1,792 |

## Groceries

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Milk (1L) | $2.33 |
| Eggs (12) | $3.09 |
| Wine (mid-range) | $22 |

## Eating out

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Cheap meal | $11 |
| Mid-range dinner for 2 | $66 |
| Cappuccino | $4.21 |

## Getting around

| Item | USD |
| --- | --- |
| Monthly pass | $66 |
| Single ride | $1.10 |
| Taxi start | $2.44 |
| Gasoline (1L) | $1.51 |

## Income and short stays

- **Average net salary (after tax):** $1,061/month
- **30-day trial stay (short-let, eating out, transport, SIM):** $2,384

## Cities with comparable costs

| City | Rent (1-bed, centre) | Monthly total | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tulum | $1,045 | $1,489 | /cost-of-living/tulum |
| Tamarindo | $950 | $950 | /cost-of-living/tamarindo |
| Panama City | $1,059 | $1,548 | /cost-of-living/panama-city |
| Playa del Carmen | $1,068 | $1,587 | /cost-of-living/playa-del-carmen |
| San Miguel de Allende | $1,106 | $1,732 | /cost-of-living/san-miguel-de-allende |

## Related pages

- Full city profile: /cities/san-jose

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Source: [Townleap](https://www.townleap.com/cost-of-living/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.