Quality of life in San Jose
San Jose, Costa Rica, is characterized by reasonably priced housing. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in cost of living, safety and leisure & culture.
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Life quality score
City ranking
Housing
8
74/265Details
| Large apartment | $940.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $830.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 0.85 |
| Small apartment | $730.00 |
Cost of Living
7
84/248Details
| 5km taxi ride | $5.40 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $2.80 |
| A beer | $1.50 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $4.00 |
| Bread | $0.63 |
| Inflation [score] | 0.67 |
| Lunch | $8.50 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $62.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $40.00 |
| Movie ticket | $6.80 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $49.97 |
Startups
4
155/264Details
| Average monthly increase in number of startups | 2 |
|---|---|
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.27 |
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.10 |
| Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 8 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.24 |
| Meetups groups | 52 |
| Meetups members | 19473 |
| Number of investors | 3 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 38 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 7 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.39 |
| Startup events | 5 |
| Startup events [score] | 0.25 |
| Startups [score] | 0.49 |
| Total number of startups | 29 |
Venture Capital
N/A
Details
Travel Connectivity
1
243/266Details
| Airport hub | 39 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.24 |
Commute
4
222/255Details
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.10 |
|---|
Business Freedom
6
196/264Details
| Business freedom | 68.60 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.53 |
| Freedom from corruption | 54.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.51 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 53.80 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 0.34 |
| Time to open a business | 22.50 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.75 |
Safety
7
173/266Details
| Crime rate [score] | 0.39 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 8 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 10 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.80 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.95 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.87 |
Healthcare
6
180/265Details
| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.55 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.62 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.61 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.78 |
Education
1
212/240Details
| Country mean scores in PISA math test | 406.48 |
|---|---|
| Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 440.55 |
| Country mean scores in PISA science test | 429.35 |
| PISA math ranking (high school) | 47 |
| PISA ranking | 46 |
| PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.24 |
| PISA reading (high school) | 39 |
| PISA science (high school) | 44 |
| Percent of happy students | 0.89 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA math test | 0.60 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA reading test | 0.32 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA science test | 0.39 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA math test | 0.01 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA reading test | 0.01 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA science test | 0.00 |
Environmental Quality
5
173/266Details
| Air quality [score] | 0.59 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.25 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.73 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.54 |
Economy
4
204/263Details
| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 574.06 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | CRC |
| GDP growth rate | 0.04 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.56 |
| GDP per capita | $14864.27 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.25 |
Taxation
6
88/266Details
| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.28 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.87 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.58 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 151 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.13 |
Internet Access
2
259/266Details
| Download speed (Mbps) | 8.11 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.18 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.12 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 3.38 |
Leisure & Culture
7
78/264Details
| Art galleries | 139 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.63 |
| Cinemas | 139 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.87 |
| Comedy clubs | 26 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.73 |
| Concert venues | 157 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.73 |
| Historical sites | 100 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.76 |
| Museums | 56 |
| Museums [score] | 0.62 |
| Performing art venues | 201 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.75 |
| Sport venues | 101 |
| Sports [score] | 0.86 |
| Zoos | 8 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.75 |
Tolerance
9
19/266Details
| LGBT Equality Index | 77.43 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.79 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✖ Single only |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✖ Not banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | Illegal in some contexts |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✖ Illegal |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✖ Unrecognized |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 1.00 |
Outdoors
3
228/266Details
| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.46 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 1435.50 |
| Presence of hills in city | 1.00 |
| Presence of mountains in city | 1.00 |
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 1154.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.10 |
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Cost of living
Costs of living in San José are in the 84th place of all 248 Teleport cities. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
Housing costs (USD)
$940
Median rent for
apartments in city center
apartments in city center
Daily living costs (USD)
 Monthly fitness club membership | $62 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $7 |
 Broadband internet connection | $46 |
 Monthly public transport | $40 |
 Lunch | $9 |
-41%
compared to
San Francisco
San Francisco
Job salary calculator
Software Engineer salaries in San Jose are below average. For this job type, San Jose ranks 152nd for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in San Jose.
Estimated annual salary (in USD)
$37,001
Median salary
Locals review San Jose
Do locals recommend living in San Jose?
What could San Jose do better?#improveSanJose
How could San Jose improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of San Jose - Johnny Araya Monge
What makes San Jose a special place?#praiseSanJose
Is San Jose a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
Local Currency
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Safety
Gun crimes & Ownership
9.90
Guns per 100 people
7.50
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania
Overall crime rate city ranking
The overall crime rate puts San Jose in position 206 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Education
Visa
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Explore the streets of San Jose
People in San Jose
Friends living in San Jose
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Teleport Users X San Jose
Teleport users who are San Jose
Work in:
5.45%
3.64%
3.64%
3.64%
3.64%
1.82%
1.82%
76.36%
Come from:
LGBT rights in San Jose
Homosexuality
Legal
Changing gender
Illegal
Discrimination
Illegal In Some Contexts
Marriage
Unrecognized
Adoption
Single Only
Climate
Average number of days per year without rain
271Climate type
Tropical Monsoon
Average daily maximum temperature
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On living in San Jose
San José (literally meaning "Saint Joseph", pronounced [saŋ hoˈse]) is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the mid-west of the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation. The population of San José Canton was 288,054 in 2011, and San José’s municipal land area measures 44.2 square kilometers (17.2 square miles), and an estimated 333,980 residents in 2015. The metropolitan area stretches beyond the canton limits and has an estimated population of over 2 million in 2017. The city is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.
Though few people live in the city center, it is the most important working area of the country, which brings in more than a million people daily. Despite its problems, according to studies in Latin America, San José is still one of the safest and least violent cities in the region. In 2006, the city was appointed Ibero-American Capital of Culture.
San José is the sixth-most important destination in Latin America, according to The MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index 2012. San José ranked 15th in the world’s fastest-growing destination cities by visitor cross-border spending.
Read moreGood Country Index
Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Overall ranking
48th from a total of 163 countries
World Order
23rdRefugees hosted
Refugees generated
Charity giving
Birth rate
UN Treaties signed
International Peace & Security
40thDues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets
International violent conflict
Peacekeeping troops
Arms exports
Internet security (2014)
Planet & Climate
85thEcological footprint
Reforestation since 1992
Hazardous pesticides exports
CO2 emissions
Ozone
Prosperity & Equality
47thDevelopment assistance
FDI outflows
Fairtrade market size
UN volunteers abroad
Open trading
Culture
47thFreedom of movement
Press freedom
Creative services exports
UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution
Creative goods exports
Science & Technology
79thNobel prizes
Patents
Journal exports
International publications
International Students
Health & Wellbeing
101stPharmaceutical exports
Voluntary excess donations to the WHO
Food aid
Humanitarian aid donations
International Health Regulations Compliance
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