Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, ON and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Aurora, ON: $993 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Aurora, ON, Canada
San Jose, Costa Rica
Aurora, ON
🇨🇦 Canada
$993
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aurora, 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 Aurora, ON and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $993 per month in Aurora, ON vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Aurora, ON $993
  • San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,647 per month in Aurora, ON vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Aurora, ON $2,647
  • San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,301 per month in Aurora, ON vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Aurora, ON $4,301
  • San Jose $4,054

Aurora, ON is about 53% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Aurora, ON sits 27% below the global median, while San Jose is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.62 CA$24.70
$12.37 ₡5,563
42.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.2 CA$74.6
$62.4 ₡28.0K
-14.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.59 CA$14.85
$11.71 ₡5,264
-9.56%
Cappuccino
$3.69 CA$5.18
$4.54 ₡2,040
-18.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 CA$2.50
$2.75 ₡1,238
-35.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.22 CA$1.71
$1.86 ₡837
-34.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.91 CA$6.88
$3.35 ₡1,505
46.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.86 CA$8.21
$4.32 ₡1,944
35.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 CA$3.33
$2.36 ₡1,061
0.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.17 CA$3.04
$3.07 ₡1,379
-29.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.74 CA$3.83
$2.51 ₡1,128
9.16%
Eggs
$3.10 CA$4.35
$3.53 ₡1,585
-12.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.38 CA$6.13
$10.54 ₡4,738
-58.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.68 CA$13.57
$10.57 ₡4,754
-8.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.98 CA$9.79
$13.92 ₡6,261
-49.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.57 CA$5.01
$5.20 ₡2,338
-31.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 CA$1.81
$1.65 ₡740
-21.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.40 CA$3.37
$4.89 ₡2,198
-50.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 CA$4.63
$3.84 ₡1,728
-13.80%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 CA$2.96
$3.91 ₡1,757
-46.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 CA$2.71
$3.76 ₡1,692
-48.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 CA$3.48
$1.12 ₡504
121.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 CA$2.23
$3.22 ₡1,447
-50.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.04 CA$18.27
$6.02 ₡2,706
116.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.76 CA$17.88
$19.84 ₡8,919
-35.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.32 CA$3.26
$2.81 ₡1,264
-17.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 CA$3.38
$3.65 ₡1,643
-33.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.08 ₡487
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$65.2 ₡29.3K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.39 CA$4.75
$2.26 ₡1,018
50.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 CA$1.98
$1.78 ₡799
-20.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.76 CA$26.29
$7.90 ₡3,551
137.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 CA$1.67
$1.50 ₡673
-20.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K CA$39.3K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-16.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K CA$30.0K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-49.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 CA$220
$93.2 ₡41.9K
68.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.65 CA$40.17
$36.13 ₡16.2K
-20.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.7 CA$75.3
$60.6 ₡27.2K
-11.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.84 CA$46.04
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-52.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.00 CA$32.24
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-7.78%
Cinema Ticket
$12.09 CA$16.94
$7.67 ₡3,449
57.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$509 CA$714
$972 ₡436.9K
-47.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.2K CA$29.8K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
12.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.4 CA$76.2
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-22.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.06 CA$60.4
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-24.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.3 CA$131
$129 ₡57.8K
-27.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 CA$157
$131 ₡58.8K
-14.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 CA$2,220
$1,170 ₡525.9K
35.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$943 ₡424.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,386 CA$3,345
$1,984 ₡892.0K
20.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,127 CA$2,981
$1,400 ₡629.5K
51.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,487 CA$3,487
$2,681 ₡1.2M
-7.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,000 CA$5,607
$2,037 ₡915.8K
96.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Aurora, ON
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,092 CA$4,335
$987 ₡443.6K
213.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.72
8.62
-45.24%

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

Last update for Aurora, 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.
Groceries & Markets
Aurora, ON
$284
San Jose
$403 41.7% $119
Eating Out
Aurora, ON
$265
San Jose
$232 12.4% $33
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Aurora, ON
$239
San Jose
$190 20.7% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Aurora, ON
$136
San Jose
$174 27.6% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Aurora, ON
$57
San Jose
$84 47.8% $27
Getting Around
Aurora, ON
$10 *
San Jose
$81 672% $70
Accommodation & Living
Aurora, ON
- *
San Jose
$943

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,584 in Aurora, 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 Aurora, ON are about 3.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Aurora, ON versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $403 – making Aurora, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Aurora, ON
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
07:25 7:25 AM
06:25 6:25 AM
1 h behind Aurora, ON
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
62,057
342,188 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Aurora, ON San Jose 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Aurora, 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
Aurora, ON vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aurora, ON cheaper than San Jose?
Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,489 per month in Aurora, ON and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,584 in Aurora, ON.
What are total monthly expenses in Aurora, ON and in San Jose?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $993 in Aurora, ON and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes Aurora, ON about 53% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $509 per month in Aurora, ON and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Aurora, ON or in San Jose?
It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $993 in Aurora, ON to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Aurora, ON vs other spots: cost of living compared

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