Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajax, ON and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,560 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajax, ON outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,560

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajax, ON and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ajax, ON and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,560 per month in Ajax, ON vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Ajax, ON $2,560
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,626 per month in Ajax, ON vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Ajax, ON $3,626
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,692 per month in Ajax, ON vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Ajax, ON $4,692
San Jose $4,054

Ajax, ON costs about 21% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ajax, ON and San Jose sit above the global median – Ajax, ON by 89%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 CA$24.86

$12.37 ₡5,563

43.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 CA$74.2

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-15.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 CA$15.30

$11.71 ₡5,264

-6.75%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.26

$4.54 ₡2,040

-17.18%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 CA$2.55

$2.75 ₡1,238

-33.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$1.86 ₡837

-14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 CA$4.92

$3.35 ₡1,505

4.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 CA$8.22

$4.32 ₡1,944

35.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CA$2.82

$2.36 ₡1,061

-14.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CA$4.23

$3.07 ₡1,379

-1.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.77

$2.51 ₡1,128

35.46%

Eggs

$3.84 CA$5.38

$3.53 ₡1,585

8.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.64 CA$14.91

$10.54 ₡4,738

0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.28

$10.57 ₡4,754

9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 CA$24.14

$13.92 ₡6,261

23.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.64

$5.20 ₡2,338

-22.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.35

$1.65 ₡740

1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$4.89 ₡2,198

-32.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 CA$4.69

$3.84 ₡1,728

-12.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 CA$3.25

$3.91 ₡1,757

-40.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$3.76 ₡1,692

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 CA$3.16

$1.12 ₡504

100.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 CA$2.70

$3.22 ₡1,447

-40.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$6.02 ₡2,706

136.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$18.76

$19.84 ₡8,919

-32.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 CA$2.99

$2.81 ₡1,264

-24.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$3.65 ₡1,643

-32.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.35

$1.08 ₡487

121.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 CA$121

$65.2 ₡29.3K

32.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 CA$4.39

$2.26 ₡1,018

38.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$1.78 ₡799

-20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.40 CA$30.00

$7.90 ₡3,551

170.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.50 ₡673

-20.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.8K CA$40.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-13.84%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-49.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$128 CA$180

$93.2 ₡41.9K

37.51%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.21 CA$40.95

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-19.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 CA$82.8

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-2.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 CA$46.25

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-52.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.86 CA$15.22

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-56.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 CA$14.03

$7.67 ₡3,449

30.51%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$514 CA$721

$972 ₡436.9K

-47.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$32.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

23.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 CA$71.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-27.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 CA$74.6

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 CA$134

$129 ₡57.8K

-25.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$146

$131 ₡58.8K

-20.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 CA$2,139

$1,170 ₡525.9K

30.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 CA$1,988

$943 ₡424.1K

50.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,184

$1,984 ₡892.0K

14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 CA$3,033

$1,400 ₡629.5K

54.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,065 CA$4,296

$987 ₡443.6K

210.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

8.62

-44.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ajax, ON: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 55.4%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 33.5% $475

Groceries & Markets

Ajax, ON

$367 14.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 9.6% $35

Eating Out

Ajax, ON

$263 10.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 11.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajax, ON

$216 8.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 12.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ajax, ON

$137 5.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 27.4% $37

Getting Around

Ajax, ON

$106 4.1%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 23.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ajax, ON

$53 2.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 58.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,526 in Ajax, ON versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ajax, ON are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Ajax, ON versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $403 – making Ajax, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h behind Ajax, ON

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,677

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ajax, ON San Jose 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ajax, ON
San Jose

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ajax, ON vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,840 per month in Ajax, ON and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,526 in Ajax, ON.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,560 in Ajax, ON and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Ajax, ON at $2,560. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajax, ON it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,560 in Ajax, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ajax, ON makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.