Living in San José, Costa Rica
San José is a mid-sized city in Costa Rica (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 20°C over the year with about 3,458 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,801 a month to live centrally, and Costa Rica sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Costa Rica is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $1,000 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,801
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 20°C
- 3,458 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 65/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~80 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- for most foreigners
What stands out about San José
- Self-funded residency from about $1,000 a month in income
- Wet: about 3,458 mm of rain a year
Residency and visas
Comparatively open. Costa Rica offers well-established temporary-residency routes for retirees with a lifetime pension (Pensionado), people of independent means (Rentista), and investors (Inversionista), all leading to permanent residency after three years.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Costa Rica:
- Income: about $1,000 a month (Pensionado route, lifetime pension of USD 1,000/mo; the Rentista sufficient-means alternative requires USD 2,500/mo guaranteed for two years (or a USD 60,000 bank deposit); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $150k (Inversionista route, USD 150,000 minimum qualifying investment (USD 100,000 for approved forestry projects); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 95 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 103 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Climate
San José averages 20°C across the year with about 3,458 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 54% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Costa Rica scores 70 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 71% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Costa Rica.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Costa Rica runs at about 80 Mbps, faster than 30% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Language and culture
Main languages: Spanish. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 65 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Costa Rica sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see San José in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,801 a month to live centrally in San José, 3% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 40% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Safety and stability
Costa Rica scores 65 out of 100 on safety, safer than 58% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 8.1 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Costa Rica. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Questions couples ask about San José
Is San José a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, San José scores well on healthcare and political stability. Expect a warm, very wet climate (20°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks San José and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in San José?
We estimate about €2,801 a month for a couple living centrally, 3% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in San José?
Costa Rica is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see San José in their results.
Can foreigners live in Costa Rica long term?
Our assessment: comparatively open. Costa Rica offers well-established temporary-residency routes for retirees with a lifetime pension (Pensionado), people of independent means (Rentista), and investors (Inversionista), all leading to permanent residency after three years. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $1,000 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $150k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in San José?
San José averages 20°C across the year with about 3,458 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 54% of the cities we track.
Featured in
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- Best places to retire in Latin America (#3)
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Moving to Costa Rica as a couple
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