Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, Canada and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,529 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,529

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,529 in Cambridge versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Cambridge $2,529
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,458 in Cambridge versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Cambridge $3,458
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Cambridge versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Cambridge $4,386
San Jose $4,054

Living in Cambridge is roughly 20% 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: Cambridge 87% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 CA$24.73

$12.37 ₡5,563

42.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 CA$79.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

-9.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 CA$14.89

$11.71 ₡5,264

-9.31%

Cappuccino

$3.42 CA$4.79

$4.54 ₡2,040

-24.67%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.75 ₡1,238

-29.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 CA$1.79

$1.86 ₡837

-31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.89 CA$6.85

$3.35 ₡1,505

45.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.52 CA$9.14

$4.32 ₡1,944

50.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 CA$2.87

$2.36 ₡1,061

-13.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 CA$3.39

$3.07 ₡1,379

-21.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.68

$2.51 ₡1,128

33.07%

Eggs

$3.38 CA$4.74

$3.53 ₡1,585

-4.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.59 CA$16.25

$10.54 ₡4,738

9.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.20

$10.57 ₡4,754

9.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.36

$13.92 ₡6,261

4.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 CA$5.62

$5.20 ₡2,338

-22.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.65 ₡740

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 CA$5.76

$4.89 ₡2,198

-15.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.23

$3.84 ₡1,728

-2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$3.91 ₡1,757

-32.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CA$2.79

$3.76 ₡1,692

-47.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CA$2.93

$1.12 ₡504

86.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.91

$3.22 ₡1,447

-57.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 CA$17.78

$6.02 ₡2,706

110.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.34 CA$17.30

$19.84 ₡8,919

-37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 CA$3.67

$2.81 ₡1,264

-6.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 CA$5.69

$3.65 ₡1,643

11.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.94

$1.08 ₡487

160.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 CA$96.8

$65.2 ₡29.3K

5.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.56

$2.26 ₡1,018

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 CA$2.53

$1.78 ₡799

1.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.09 CA$39.37

$7.90 ₡3,551

255.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.78

$1.50 ₡673

-15.33%

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

$26.7K CA$37.4K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-20.30%

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

$21.0K CA$29.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-50.29%

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

$151 CA$212

$93.2 ₡41.9K

62.45%

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

$42.55 CA$59.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

17.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 CA$71.9

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-15.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.73 CA$40.28

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-58.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$10.39 CA$14.56

$7.67 ₡3,449

35.46%

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

$399 CA$560

$972 ₡436.9K

-58.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-14.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 CA$87.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-11.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.98 CA$46.23

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-41.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 CA$113

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 CA$151

$131 ₡58.8K

-17.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 CA$2,128

$1,170 ₡525.9K

29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 CA$1,958

$943 ₡424.1K

48.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 CA$2,940

$1,984 ₡892.0K

5.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 CA$2,657

$1,400 ₡629.5K

35.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,368 CA$6,123

$2,681 ₡1.2M

62.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,701 CA$5,188

$2,037 ₡915.8K

81.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,019 CA$4,232

$987 ₡443.6K

206.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

8.62

-39.44%

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

Last update for Cambridge: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 32.5% $453

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$353 14%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 14% $49

Eating Out

Cambridge

$264 10.5%

San Jose

$232 11% 12.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$245 9.7%

San Jose

$190 9% 22.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$128 5.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 36.3% $46

Getting Around

Cambridge

$93 3.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 12.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$50 2%

San Jose

$84 4% 70.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,518 in Cambridge and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Cambridge vs $62 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $403 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

06:52 6:52 AM

1 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

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

Cambridge San Jose 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

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

San Jose is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cambridge is about 3.1 times higher, 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: $1,518 in Cambridge versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cambridge pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cambridge – a meal for two runs $56 versus $62 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,529 in Cambridge, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Cambridge on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.