Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Campbell River and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,373 in Campbell River, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Campbell River outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in Campbell River
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Campbell River Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Campbell River

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,373

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,373 in Campbell River versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Campbell River $2,373
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,457 in Campbell River versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Campbell River $3,457
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,540 in Campbell River versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Campbell River $4,540
San Jose $3,934

Living in Campbell River is roughly 22% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Campbell River 76% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.99 CA$26.85

$12.38 ₡5,551

53.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.8 CA$98.6

$60.9 ₡27.3K

14.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 CA$14.95

$11.45 ₡5,135

-7.60%

Cappuccino

$4.12 CA$5.83

$4.39 ₡1,967

-6.15%

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

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.70 ₡1,211

-17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 CA$1.37

$1.93 ₡864

-49.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 CA$7.90

$3.20 ₡1,433

74.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.32 CA$8.93

$4.41 ₡1,979

43.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.44 ₡1,093

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CA$4.27

$3.05 ₡1,369

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.56

$2.41 ₡1,081

63.07%

Eggs

$4.01 CA$5.67

$3.40 ₡1,523

17.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 CA$11.49

$10.75 ₡4,823

-24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 CA$13.20

$10.43 ₡4,679

-10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 CA$20.39

$13.99 ₡6,273

3.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.52

$5.25 ₡2,353

-39.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.59 ₡712

-12.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.69 ₡2,103

-26.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.85

$3.95 ₡1,770

-13.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.80

$3.92 ₡1,760

-13.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$3.68 ₡1,651

-22.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 CA$4.45

$1.12 ₡503

181.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$3.19 ₡1,429

-21.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.43 CA$20.40

$6.00 ₡2,692

140.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 CA$24.57

$19.56 ₡8,771

-11.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.92 CA$5.54

$2.82 ₡1,263

39.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CA$4.98

$3.59 ₡1,611

-1.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 CA$2.01

$1.12 ₡503

27.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 CA$3.87

$2.50 ₡1,119

9.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 CA$2.28

$1.63 ₡733

-1.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.41 CA$48.64

$8.50 ₡3,812

304.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.56 ₡701

-19.23%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

21.40%

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

$18.4K CA$26.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-48.41%

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

$52.3 CA$73.9

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-45.12%

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

$44.43 CA$62.8

$35.58 ₡16.0K

24.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$58.6 ₡26.3K

6.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.21 CA$63.9

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-37.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 CA$14.70

$7.58 ₡3,401

37.20%

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

$894 CA$1,264

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-10.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K CA$32.5K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

34.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.33 CA$61.3

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-38.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 CA$63.5

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-19.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 CA$97.7

$130 ₡58.2K

-46.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 CA$125

$131 ₡58.7K

-32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 CA$2,058

$927 ₡415.8K

57.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 CA$1,918

$774 ₡347.2K

75.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 CA$3,115

$1,967 ₡882.0K

12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 CA$3,036

$1,288 ₡577.6K

66.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,283 CA$3,228

$1,016 ₡455.8K

124.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

8.62

-50.00%

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

Last update for Campbell River: 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

Campbell River

$1.4K 57.2%

San Jose

$774 40% 42.9% $582

Groceries & Markets

Campbell River

$378 15.9%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 6% $23

Eating Out

Campbell River

$286 12.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 19.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Campbell River

$159 6.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 19.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Campbell River

$111 4.7%

San Jose

$174 9% 57.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Campbell River

$66 2.8%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 33.1% $22

Getting Around

Campbell River

$16 * 0.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 397% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,456 in Campbell River and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Campbell River pays 125% 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: $70.0 in Campbell River vs $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $378 vs $401, with Campbell River cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Campbell River

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h ahead of Campbell River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,455

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 19, 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 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Campbell River San Jose 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Campbell River
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

Campbell River vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Campbell River. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 125% higher in Campbell River, 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: $1,456 in Campbell River versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Campbell River pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,373 per month in Campbell River versus $1,938 in San Jose – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,373 in Campbell River, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Campbell River. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Campbell River. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.