Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,701 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,701

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,701 per month in Burlington vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Burlington $2,701
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,861 per month in Burlington vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Burlington $3,861
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $5,021 per month in Burlington vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Burlington $5,021
San Jose $4,054

Burlington costs about 28% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burlington and San Jose sit above the global median – Burlington by 100%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.06 CA$29.52

$12.37 ₡5,563

70.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 CA$102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

16.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 CA$15.23

$11.71 ₡5,264

-7.26%

Cappuccino

$3.28 CA$4.60

$4.54 ₡2,040

-27.75%

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

$1.99 CA$2.80

$2.75 ₡1,238

-27.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$1.86 ₡837

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 CA$8.18

$3.35 ₡1,505

74.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 CA$9.00

$4.32 ₡1,944

48.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 CA$3.77

$2.36 ₡1,061

13.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$3.07 ₡1,379

-5.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.33

$2.51 ₡1,128

51.39%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$3.53 ₡1,585

2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.01

$10.54 ₡4,738

-5.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 CA$13.14

$10.57 ₡4,754

-11.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 CA$20.65

$13.92 ₡6,261

5.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.11

$5.20 ₡2,338

-30.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$1.65 ₡740

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$4.89 ₡2,198

-46.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.13

$3.84 ₡1,728

-4.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$3.91 ₡1,757

-51.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 CA$2.73

$3.76 ₡1,692

-48.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CA$2.91

$1.12 ₡504

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$3.22 ₡1,447

-53.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.83 CA$17.98

$6.02 ₡2,706

113.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 CA$14.94

$19.84 ₡8,919

-46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 CA$3.89

$2.81 ₡1,264

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 CA$4.09

$3.65 ₡1,643

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$1.08 ₡487

145.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.8 CA$138

$65.2 ₡29.3K

51.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 CA$6.93

$2.26 ₡1,018

119.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 CA$2.99

$1.78 ₡799

19.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.26 CA$55.0

$7.90 ₡3,551

396.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.68

$1.50 ₡673

-20.00%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.51%

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

$22.0K CA$30.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-47.95%

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

$152 CA$214

$93.2 ₡41.9K

63.46%

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

$44.84 CA$62.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

24.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 CA$95.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

12.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.18 CA$61.9

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-35.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.82 CA$41.79

$24.94 ₡11.2K

19.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.43 CA$23.03

$7.67 ₡3,449

114.21%

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

$885 CA$1,241

$972 ₡436.9K

-8.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K CA$28.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

7.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 CA$98.2

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-0.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 CA$91.9

$56.7 ₡25.5K

15.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 CA$137

$129 ₡57.8K

-23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 CA$137

$131 ₡58.8K

-25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 CA$2,409

$1,170 ₡525.9K

46.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 CA$2,030

$943 ₡424.1K

53.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 CA$3,677

$1,984 ₡892.0K

32.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 CA$3,076

$1,400 ₡629.5K

56.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,216 CA$7,311

$2,681 ₡1.2M

94.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,125 CA$5,782

$2,037 ₡915.8K

102.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,291 CA$4,613

$987 ₡443.6K

233.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

8.62

-47.56%

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

Last update for Burlington: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington

$1.4K 53.6%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 34.9% $505

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$340 12.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 18.5% $63

Eating Out

Burlington

$297 11%

San Jose

$232 11% 21.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$265 9.8%

San Jose

$190 9% 28.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$149 5.5%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 16.8% $25

Getting Around

Burlington

$125 4.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 35.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$77 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 9.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,719 in Burlington 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 Burlington are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Burlington versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Burlington vs $403 in San Jose – so Burlington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

1 h behind Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

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

Burlington San Jose 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington
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

Burlington vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,051 per month in Burlington 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 $1,719 in Burlington.

Kindergarten costs $885 per month in Burlington and $972 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Burlington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Burlington at $2,701. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington 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 $2,701 in Burlington. 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, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.