San Jose's cost of living, ranks close to the middle when compared to 118 cities worldwide. Hired help is a bargain with a full-time maid costing only a couple of hundred dollars per month. Bills for heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer can cost hundreds of dollars in the States. You never need to heat your home or apartment because of Costa Rica's warm climate. You need not cook with gas, since most stoves are electric.
Public transportation is also very reasonable.
San Jos and its surrounding suburbs occupy a very small area. A bus ride across town or to the suburbs usually costs from 25 -50 . Taxi travel around San Jos is also inexpensive. Only oil-exporting countries like Mexico and Venezuela have cheaper gasoline. However, you don't really need a car because public transportation is so inexpensive here.