Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnaby and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,738 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,738

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,738 in Burnaby versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Burnaby $2,738
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,928 in Burnaby versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Burnaby $3,928
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,117 in Burnaby versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Burnaby $5,117
San Jose $3,934

Living in Burnaby is roughly 41% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burnaby 103% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$12.38 ₡5,551

71.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.7 CA$118

$60.9 ₡27.3K

37.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 CA$12.64

$11.45 ₡5,135

-21.92%

Cappuccino

$4.66 CA$6.59

$4.39 ₡1,967

6.15%

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

$2.30 CA$3.26

$2.70 ₡1,211

-14.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 CA$2.38

$1.93 ₡864

-12.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CA$11.95

$3.20 ₡1,433

164.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 CA$8.21

$4.41 ₡1,979

31.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.25

$2.44 ₡1,093

-5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$3.05 ₡1,369

-11.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$2.41 ₡1,081

46.47%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.36

$3.40 ₡1,523

-9.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 CA$19.08

$10.75 ₡4,823

25.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.49 CA$19.08

$10.43 ₡4,679

29.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.16 CA$35.57

$13.99 ₡6,273

79.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 CA$6.30

$5.25 ₡2,353

-15.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.59 ₡712

-18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.52 CA$6.38

$4.69 ₡2,103

-3.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CA$6.54

$3.95 ₡1,770

17.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$3.92 ₡1,760

-28.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.90

$3.68 ₡1,651

-5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$1.12 ₡503

139.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$3.19 ₡1,429

-33.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.99 CA$19.78

$6.00 ₡2,692

133.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 CA$19.03

$19.56 ₡8,771

-31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.94

$2.82 ₡1,263

-26.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$3.59 ₡1,611

-36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.12 ₡503

107.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 CA$112

$66.8 ₡30.0K

19.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$2.50 ₡1,119

14.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.13

$1.63 ₡733

-7.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.37 CA$37.27

$8.50 ₡3,812

210.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.84

$1.56 ₡701

-16.67%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

23.11%

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

$18.7K CA$26.4K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-47.55%

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

$120 CA$170

$95.2 ₡42.7K

26.42%

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

$43.55 CA$61.6

$35.58 ₡16.0K

22.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 CA$75.1

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-9.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.72 CA$42.01

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-59.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.33 CA$14.61

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-58.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 CA$19.67

$7.58 ₡3,401

83.51%

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

$634 CA$897

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-36.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.1

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-26.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 CA$73.0

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-7.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 CA$144

$130 ₡58.2K

-21.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 CA$109

$131 ₡58.7K

-40.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 CA$2,302

$927 ₡415.8K

75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 CA$2,108

$774 ₡347.2K

92.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 CA$3,469

$1,967 ₡882.0K

24.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,187 CA$3,092

$1,288 ₡577.6K

69.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,588 CA$9,313

$2,274 ₡1.0M

189.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,530 CA$7,817

$1,831 ₡821.0K

202.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 CA$4,445

$1,016 ₡455.8K

209.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

8.62

-44.78%

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

Last update for Burnaby: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnaby

$1.5K 54.4%

San Jose

$774 40% 48.1% $717

Groceries & Markets

Burnaby

$425 15.5%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 5.6% $24

Eating Out

Burnaby

$322 11.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 28.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnaby

$217 7.9%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 12.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Burnaby

$127 4.6%

San Jose

$174 9% 36.9% $47

Getting Around

Burnaby

$99 3.6%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 17.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Burnaby

$58 2.1%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 52.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,628 in Burnaby and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 209% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Burnaby vs $61.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $425 vs $401 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

1 h ahead of Burnaby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,125

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burnaby San Jose 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnaby
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

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

Burnaby and San Jose differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,738 vs $1,938 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 209% higher in Burnaby, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,628 in Burnaby versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Burnaby versus $1,001 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,738 in Burnaby, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Burnaby. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.