Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dawson City and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Dawson City and in San Jose: $1,888 and $1,938 a month, rent and utilities included.

91

Cost of Living Index in Dawson City
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Dawson City Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Dawson City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,888

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,888 per month in Dawson City vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Dawson City $1,888
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,267 per month in Dawson City vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Dawson City $3,267
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $4,647 per month in Dawson City vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Dawson City $4,647
San Jose $3,934

Dawson City is about 3% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dawson City and San Jose sit above the global median – Dawson City by 40%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.14 CA$34.12

$12.38 ₡5,551

94.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 CA$144

$60.9 ₡27.3K

66.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 CA$14.71

$11.45 ₡5,135

-9.08%

Cappuccino

$3.74 CA$5.29

$4.39 ₡1,967

-14.81%

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

$1.78 CA$2.52

$2.70 ₡1,211

-34.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.93 ₡864

-18.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$3.20 ₡1,433

62.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CA$7.84

$4.41 ₡1,979

25.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$2.44 ₡1,093

7.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 CA$5.81

$3.05 ₡1,369

34.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.95 CA$6.99

$2.41 ₡1,081

105.39%

Eggs

$5.00 CA$7.06

$3.40 ₡1,523

47.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.66 CA$13.66

$10.75 ₡4,823

-10.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.65

$10.43 ₡4,679

40.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 CA$20.33

$13.99 ₡6,273

2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$5.25 ₡2,353

-23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.59 ₡712

-6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.59

$4.69 ₡2,103

-15.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.73

$3.95 ₡1,770

2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 CA$3.43

$3.92 ₡1,760

-38.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$3.68 ₡1,651

-39.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.12 ₡503

116.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$3.19 ₡1,429

-51.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.27 CA$20.17

$6.00 ₡2,692

137.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 CA$18.05

$19.56 ₡8,771

-34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.57

$2.82 ₡1,263

-10.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CA$4.20

$3.59 ₡1,611

-17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.12 ₡503

76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 CA$86.8

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-8.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.50 ₡1,119

29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.63 ₡733

0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 CA$33.48

$8.50 ₡3,812

178.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

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

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

24.66%

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

$18.0K CA$25.5K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-49.35%

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

$136 CA$193

$95.2 ₡42.7K

43.24%

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

$37.51 CA$53.0

$35.58 ₡16.0K

5.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 CA$75.4

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 CA$58.1

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-43.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.56 CA$24.82

$24.85 ₡11.1K

-29.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 CA$17.73

$7.58 ₡3,401

65.44%

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

$848 CA$1,199

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-15.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K CA$17.8K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-26.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 CA$89.4

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-10.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.70 CA$53.3

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-32.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 CA$93.7

$130 ₡58.2K

-48.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 CA$142

$131 ₡58.7K

-23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 CA$1,730

$927 ₡415.8K

32.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 CA$951

$774 ₡347.2K

-13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,931 CA$2,729

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-1.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 CA$2,418

$1,288 ₡577.6K

32.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,427 CA$6,258

$2,274 ₡1.0M

94.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,172 CA$4,484

$1,831 ₡821.0K

73.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,819 CA$3,986

$1,016 ₡455.8K

177.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

8.62

-45.94%

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

Last update for Dawson City: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dawson City

$672 35.6%

San Jose

$774 40% 15.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Dawson City

$401 21.3%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Dawson City

$320 16.9%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 28.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dawson City

$227 12%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 16.6% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Dawson City

$120 6.4%

San Jose

$174 9% 44.6% $54

Getting Around

Dawson City

$81 4.3%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 1.5% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Dawson City

$66 3.5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 32.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,224 in Dawson City versus $927 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 run about 177% higher in Dawson City, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dawson City versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in Dawson City vs $401 in San Jose – so Dawson City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Dawson City

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

1 h ahead of Dawson City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,375

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

Dawson City San Jose 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dawson City
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

Dawson City vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,832 per month in Dawson City and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dawson City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $848 per month in Dawson City and $1,001 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 0% cheaper in San Jose – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Dawson City, where all-in costs run around $1,888, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Dawson City it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dawson City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dawson City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.