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La Fortuna vs San José cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇨🇷 La Fortuna
🇨🇷 San José
At a glance
- Where San José is clearly cheaper: Transit (50%↓), Scooter rental (50%↓), Taxi (30%↓)
- Where La Fortuna is clearly cheaper: SIM card (38%↓), Restaurant dinner (33%↓), Studio rent (month) (25%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around — La Fortuna 3 vs San José 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | La Fortuna | San José | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ₡ 4,000$8.74 | ₡ 5,000$10.9 | La Fortuna −20% |
| Street food1 item | ₡ 2,500$5.46 | ₡ 1,800$3.93 | San José −28% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ₡ 10,000$21.9 | ₡ 15,000$32.8 | La Fortuna −33% |
| Coffeeone cup | ₡ 2,800$6.12 | ₡ 2,000$4.37 | San José −29% |
| Beerone bottle | ₡ 2,000$4.37 | ₡ 1,800$3.93 | San José −10% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ₡ 5,500$12 | ₡ 4,500$9.84 | San José −18% |
| Bottled water | ₡ 600$1.31 | ₡ 700$1.53 | La Fortuna −14% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ₡ 1,000$2.19 | ₡ 900$1.97 | San José −10% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ₡ 5,000$10.9 | ₡ 3,500$7.65 | San José −30% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ₡ 2,000$4.37 | ₡ 2,000$4.37 | similar |
| Transitone ride | ₡ 1,000$2.19 | ₡ 500$1.09 | San José −50% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ₡ 20,000$43.7 | ₡ 10,000$21.9 | San José −50% |
| Hotel night3-star | ₡ 36,000$78.7 | ₡ 37,500$82 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | ₡ 280,000$612 | ₡ 375,000$820 | La Fortuna −25% |
| Laundry | ₡ 1,500$3.28 | ₡ 1,500$3.28 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | ₡ 5,000$10.9 | ₡ 8,000$17.5 | La Fortuna −38% |
| Haircutcut | ₡ 6,500$14.2 | ₡ 6,000$13.1 | San José −8% |
| Massage1 hour | ₡ 16,000$35 | ₡ 20,000$43.7 | La Fortuna −20% |
| Half-day tourper person | ₡ 23,000$50.3 | ₡ 23,000$50.3 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ₡ 7,800$17 | ₡ 7,000$15.3 | San José −10% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, La Fortuna or San José?
La Fortuna is 8% cheaper than San José. Daily budget $168 vs $180; a month $3,001 vs $3,335.
Which is easier to travel, La Fortuna or San José?
About the same: La Fortuna 2.6/5, San José 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between La Fortuna and San José?
With a short-term studio and living costs, La Fortuna is about $3,001 and San José about $3,335 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.