San Francisco vs San José Cost of Living
San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1 — San José (Costa Rica) · Overall index 40.6
Summary
- Overall, San José is 57% cheaper than San Francisco.
- Rent in San José is 69% cheaper than in San Francisco.
- Transport in San José is 60% cheaper than in San Francisco.
| Item | San Francisco | San José | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | -69% | ||
| 1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly) | $3,208 | $1,069 | -67% |
| 1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly) | $2,609 | $777 | -70% |
| 3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly) | $7,487 | $2,334 | -69% |
| 3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly) | $4,864 | $1,550 | -68% |
| Groceries | -50% | ||
| Milk (1L) | $1.31 | $0.71 | -46% |
| White bread (500g) | $4.2 | $2.04 | -51% |
| Rice (1kg) | $5.82 | $2.87 | -51% |
| Eggs (12) | $4.57 | $2.46 | -46% |
| Local cheese (1kg) | $16.3 | $7.04 | -57% |
| Chicken fillets (1kg) | $12.6 | $6.44 | -49% |
| Beef round (1kg) | $22.3 | $10.2 | -54% |
| Apples (1kg) | $5.88 | $2.91 | -51% |
| Bananas (1kg) | $2.46 | $1.01 | -59% |
| Oranges (1kg) | $4.54 | $2.59 | -43% |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | $5.5 | $2.93 | -47% |
| Potatoes (1kg) | $3.06 | $1.59 | -48% |
| Onions (1kg) | $2.72 | $1.33 | -51% |
| Lettuce (1 head) | $2.75 | $1.44 | -48% |
| Water (1.5L bottle) | $2.41 | $1.22 | -49% |
| Bottle of wine (mid-range) | $15.4 | $7.89 | -49% |
| Transport | -60% | ||
| Public transport, one-way ticket | $3.1 | $1.11 | -64% |
| Public transport, monthly pass | $139 | $53.2 | -62% |
| Taxi, base fare | $4.48 | $1.61 | -64% |
| Taxi, per km | $1.91 | $0.78 | -59% |
| Gasoline (1L) | $0.99 | $0.43 | -57% |
| New compact car (e.g., VW Golf) | $27,640 | $12,080 | -56% |
| Dining out | -58% | ||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $21.5 | $11.2 | -48% |
| Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | $115 | $50.3 | -56% |
| Fast food combo meal | $11.6 | $5.05 | -56% |
| Cappuccino | $5.52 | $2.48 | -55% |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant) | $3.04 | $1.28 | -58% |
| Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant) | $8.59 | $3.39 | -61% |
| Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant) | $8.71 | $3.32 | -62% |
| Water (0.33L, restaurant) | $2.32 | $0.88 | -62% |
| Telecom | -46% | ||
| Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly) | $68.5 | $37.6 | -45% |
| Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly) | $71.8 | $40.9 | -43% |
| Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min) | $0.37 | $0.19 | -49% |
| Video streaming subscription (monthly) | $15.8 | $8.04 | -49% |
| Utilities & household | -52% | ||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly) | $176 | $80.6 | -54% |
| Electricity (1 kWh) | $0.23 | $0.12 | -48% |
| Tap water (1m³) | $5.1 | $2.39 | -53% |
| Natural gas (1m³) | $1.47 | $0.65 | -56% |
| Waste collection (monthly) | $25.8 | $12 | -53% |
| Fitness club (monthly) | $94.8 | $45.3 | -52% |
| Cinema ticket (1 seat) | $17.5 | $7.6 | -57% |
| Men's haircut | $33.2 | $17.5 | -47% |
| Domestic cleaning (1 hour) | $29.6 | $14.1 | -52% |
| Private kindergarten (monthly) | $2,199 | $1,152 | -48% |
3,561 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15
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Estimates for reference only — not official statistics.
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