Cost of living comparison

 San Jose, Costa Rica
compared to
 Seoul, South Korea
Seoul vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 2.7% more expensive than San Jose.

Restaurants
pay 31.9% less in Seoul
Groceries
pay 45.6% more in Seoul
Transportation
pay 19.0% less in Seoul
Housing
pay 19.5% more in Seoul
Childcare
pay 20.6% more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.0% less in Seoul
Clothing
pay 13.1% less in Seoul

The cost of groceries, childcare, and housing in Seoul are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including restaurants, transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Seoul.

Seoul vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Seoul instead of San Jose, you would:

pay 31.9% less for restaurants

 
San Jose
Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.83
CRC5,510.80
$7.88
₩10,760
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.72
CRC4,944.42
$6.09
₩8,314
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.99
CRC1,014.48
$1.59
₩2,167

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pay 45.6% more for groceries

 
San Jose
Seoul
Bread
1 loaf
$2.60
CRC1,321.24
$3.10
₩4,227
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.26
CRC2,170.05
$6.52
₩8,910
Milk (1 gallon) $7.23
CRC3,680.17
$8.06
₩11,005

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pay 19.0% less for transportation

 
San Jose
Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.49
CRC2,792.39
$4.59
₩6,266
Monthly public transit pass $38.02
CRC19,347.72
$44.40
₩60,645
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,925.49
CRC18,788,782.18
$27,023.07
₩36,906,200

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pay 19.5% more for housing

 
San Jose
Seoul
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$53.59
CRC27,270.54
$22.27
₩30,420
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $742.08
CRC377,591.92
$883.18
₩1,206,184
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $463.60
CRC235,894.08
$490.54
₩669,944

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pay 20.6% more for childcare

 
San Jose
Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $521.49
CRC265,350.34
$385.48
₩526,462
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,425.72
CRC6,322,572.74
$20,782.92
₩28,383,844

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pay 3.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
San Jose
Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.92
CRC1,483.32
$3.58
₩4,891
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.69
CRC1,878.25
$3.60
₩4,919
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.05
CRC2,571.10
$3.22
₩4,402

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pay 13.1% less for clothing

 
San Jose
Seoul
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$73.59
CRC37,442.82
$59.13
₩80,752
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$50.81
CRC25,854.84
$46.64
₩63,704
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$125.98
CRC64,104.17
$86.69
₩118,399

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: May 2025
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See the cost of living in Costa Rica vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Costa Rica and South Korea.

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