UN G-4 Salary in San Jose, Costa Rica

What a locally recruited General Service (G-4) earns at the UN in San Jose — the published local salary scale in CRC, with pension and estimated take-home.

Hardship Category A Post Adjustment 35.5% Cost of living 59 (US=100) HDI Rank #62
Jobs 9 Salary & Benefits Living & Relocation

G-4 salary in San Jose — at a glance

Locally recruited General Service (GS), paid on the local scale in CRC — no post adjustment or hardship allowance. Internationally recruited? See the P/D estimate.

CRC 8,204,000
Net · step 1
CRC 10,176,000
Net · mid-step
CRC 12,641,000
Net · top step
CRC 10 steps Hardship A 1 Dec 2024

Net base salary range, before pension and insurance deductions.

G-4 salary scale — by step

Published General Service scale for San Jose (effective 1 Dec 2024). Per year, in CRC.

StepGrossNetStaff assessmentEst. take-home
Step 1CRC 10,128,000CRC 8,204,000CRC 1,924,000CRC 7,198,551
Step 2CRC 10,737,000CRC 8,697,000CRC 2,040,000CRC 7,631,273
Step 3CRC 11,346,000CRC 9,190,000CRC 2,156,000CRC 8,063,837
Step 4CRC 11,954,000CRC 9,683,000CRC 2,271,000CRC 8,496,480
Step 5CRC 12,591,000CRC 10,176,000CRC 2,415,000CRC 8,929,123
Step 6CRC 13,231,000CRC 10,669,000CRC 2,562,000CRC 9,361,766
Step 7CRC 13,872,000CRC 11,162,000CRC 2,710,000CRC 9,794,251
Step 8CRC 14,512,000CRC 11,655,000CRC 2,857,000CRC 10,226,973
Step 9CRC 15,152,000CRC 12,148,000CRC 3,004,000CRC 10,659,616
Step 10CRC 15,792,000CRC 12,641,000CRC 3,151,000CRC 11,092,259

Est. take-home deducts a 7.9% UNJSPF pension and an indicative 2.5% medical premium. Indicative — the estimator below computes single/dependency rates and your exact deductions.

Your Take-Home in Costa Rica

An estimate for a UN post at San Jose, Costa Rica — for internationally recruited staff (Professional P / D, in US dollars) or locally recruited staff (General Service / National Officer, local scale).

You must already have 5 years' continuous UN service to qualify, and it applies from your 2nd duty station onward. Paid for up to 5 years at any one station.
Net remuneration (base + post adj.)
{{ money((netBase + postAdj) / divisor) }} / {{ period=='month' ? 'mo' : 'yr' }}
Gross base salary{{ money(grossBase / divisor) }}
Staff assessment (internal tax)− {{ money(staffAssessment / divisor) }}
Net base salary{{ money(netBase / divisor) }}
Post adjustment ({{ station.multiplier }}%)+ {{ money(postAdj / divisor) }}
Net remuneration{{ money((netBase + postAdj) / divisor) }}
Spouse allowance (6%)+ {{ money(spouseAllow / divisor) }}
Single-parent allowance (6%)+ {{ money(singleParentAllow / divisor) }}
Hardship allowance (cat {{ station.hardship }})+ {{ money(hardshipAllow / divisor) }}
Danger pay+ {{ money(dangerAllow / divisor) }}
Non-family allowance+ {{ money(nonFamilyAllow / divisor) }}
Mobility allowance ({{ assignments }} assignments)+ {{ money(mobilityAllow / divisor) }}
Child allowance ({{ children }})+ {{ money(childAllow / divisor) }}
Secondary dependant+ {{ money(secondaryAllow / divisor) }}
Pension contribution (7.9%)− {{ money(pension / divisor) }}
Health insurance *− {{ money(medical / divisor) }}
Estimated take-home{{ money(takeHome / divisor) }}
Net salary (local scale)
{{ localMoney(gsNet / divisor) }} / {{ period=='month' ? 'mo' : 'yr' }}
{{ gsLoading ? 'Loading take-home breakdown…' : '' }}
On the local GS/NO scale, in CRC, for {{ gDisp(gsGradeLabel) }}, step {{ gsStep }} (locally recruited staff). No post adjustment. Dependency & language allowances are additional.

* Health insurance is indicative only — real premiums vary by organization, plan (medical and dental are billed separately) and coverage option. The ~2.5% shown is a placeholder, not a quote.

Indicative estimate — excludes rental subsidy, education grant and settling-in. Professional (P/D) pay is in US dollars; GS/NO on the local scale in local currency. For information only — not official advice.

See all allowances & benefits for San Jose — cost of living, dependency & language allowances & more

Other local (GS/NO) grades in San Jose

Same duty station, different grade — see the full scale for each.

G-1 G-2 G-3 G-5 G-6 G-7 NO-A NO-B NO-C NO-D

UN jobs in San Jose (9 open)

UN-Habitat Consultor/a Especialista en sistemas e infraestructura terrestreUN-Habitat · CON IOM SVN-2026-023 Sr Administrative and Cash Based Interventions (CBI) Associate - G7IOM · G-7 IOM SVN-2026-024 Senior Project Associate (Protection) - G7IOM · G-7 IOM SVN-2026-022 Sr Project Associate – (Management and Implementation Support) Integration Programme G7IOM · Associate IOM SVN-2026-021 Sr Project Associate (Case Management) | Integration Programme G7IOM · G-7 View all UN jobs in San Jose

Frequently asked

What is the G-4 salary at the UN in San Jose?

A General Service G-4 at the UN in San Jose, Costa Rica earns a net base salary from about CRC 8,204,000 (step 1) to CRC 12,641,000 (top step) per year, per the local salary scale effective 1 Dec 2024. Gross salary is higher; staff assessment and pension are deducted.

How is take-home pay calculated for a G-4 in San Jose?

Take-home starts from the G-4 net salary, minus a 7.9% UNJSPF pension contribution and staff medical insurance, plus danger pay where the duty station is designated. Post adjustment and hardship allowances do not apply to locally recruited GS/NO staff.

What is the cost of living in San Jose, Costa Rica?

Everyday prices in Costa Rica are roughly 59% of United States levels (World Bank price level index, US = 100). For internationally recruited (P/D) staff, our Real UN Purchasing Power estimate for San Jose is 97/100 (New York = 100) — net pay buys about the same here as in New York.

See the Real UN Purchasing Power for San Jose
These are UN common-system pay figures. The World Bank, IMF and NGOs and other non-UN employers posting in San Jose set their own pay — a role here does not guarantee these figures.

Salary & Benefits Tools

Pay Stack calculatorThe full take-home tool — any duty station, every allowance, built layer by layer UN salary scales by grade Post adjustment explained UN contracts & grade levels
Advertisement