Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,320 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Canada outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Canada
San Jose, Costa Rica
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,320
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Canada is 3.7% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 10.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Canada is 1.6% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 8.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.57 CA$24.53
$12.37 ₡5,572
42.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.0 CA$99.1
$62.4 ₡28.1K
13.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.84 CA$15.13
$11.71 ₡5,272
-7.43%
Cappuccino
$3.72 CA$5.20
$4.54 ₡2,043
-18.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 CA$3.01
$2.75 ₡1,239
-21.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 CA$2.43
$1.86 ₡839
-6.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.71 CA$7.97
$3.35 ₡1,508
70.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 CA$7.76
$4.32 ₡1,947
28.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 CA$3.07
$2.36 ₡1,062
-6.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.57 CA$3.59
$3.07 ₡1,381
-16.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.50 CA$4.88
$2.51 ₡1,129
39.44%
Eggs
$3.46 CA$4.83
$3.53 ₡1,588
-1.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.68 CA$14.91
$10.54 ₡4,746
1.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.86 CA$16.56
$10.57 ₡4,761
12.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.22 CA$21.24
$13.92 ₡6,270
9.34%
Apples (1kg)
$4.14 CA$5.78
$5.20 ₡2,341
-20.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 CA$1.97
$1.65 ₡742
-14.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.78 CA$5.28
$4.89 ₡2,201
-22.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.02 CA$5.60
$3.84 ₡1,730
4.69%
Potato (1kg)
$2.73 CA$3.81
$3.91 ₡1,760
-30.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.55 CA$3.56
$3.76 ₡1,694
-32.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.67 CA$3.72
$1.12 ₡505
138.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 CA$2.50
$3.22 ₡1,449
-44.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.53 CA$20.29
$6.02 ₡2,711
141.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.55 CA$18.91
$19.84 ₡8,932
-31.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.85 CA$3.98
$2.81 ₡1,266
1.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 CA$4.44
$3.65 ₡1,646
-12.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Canada
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.57 CA$3.59
$1.08 ₡488
137.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.1 CA$103
$65.2 ₡29.4K
13.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.99 CA$4.18
$2.26 ₡1,019
32.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.63 CA$2.27
$1.78 ₡800
-8.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.37 CA$39.61
$7.90 ₡3,557
259.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 CA$1.68
$1.50 ₡674
-20.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.0K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-16.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.9K CA$29.2K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-50.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 CA$207
$93.2 ₡42.0K
59.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.35 CA$59.1
$36.13 ₡16.3K
17.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.4 CA$83.0
$60.6 ₡27.3K
-1.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.38 CA$55.0
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-42.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.60 CA$27.36
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-21.41%
Cinema Ticket
$11.50 CA$16.05
$7.67 ₡3,454
49.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$706 CA$986
$972 ₡437.6K
-27.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.9K CA$23.6K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
-10.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.0 CA$76.8
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-22.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.55 CA$55.2
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-30.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.5 CA$121
$129 ₡57.9K
-32.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 CA$146
$131 ₡58.9K
-19.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canada
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,323 CA$1,847
$1,170 ₡526.7K
13.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,140 CA$1,591
$943 ₡424.7K
20.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 CA$2,924
$1,984 ₡893.3K
5.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,723 CA$2,405
$1,400 ₡630.5K
23.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,739 CA$6,616
$2,681 ₡1.2M
76.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,705 CA$5,172
$2,037 ₡917.1K
81.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canada
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,037 CA$4,239
$987 ₡444.3K
207.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.88
8.62
-43.39%

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

Last update for Canada: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Canada
$1.1K
San Jose
$943 17.3% $197
Groceries & Markets
Canada
$370
San Jose
$403 8.8% $33
Eating Out
Canada
$273
San Jose
$232 14.9% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
$250
San Jose
$190 24.1% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Canada
$129
San Jose
$174 35.3% $45
Getting Around
Canada
$95
San Jose
$81 15.5% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Canada
$62
San Jose
$84 35.1% $22
Good to know
🇨🇦 Canada
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
21:41 9:41 PM
20:41 8:41 PM
1 h behind Canada
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,991,981
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 = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Canada San Jose 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Canada
  • 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

Canada vs other spots: cost of living compared

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