Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drummondville and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Drummondville: $1,516 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Drummondville
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Drummondville Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Drummondville

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,516

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Drummondville vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Drummondville $1,516
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,301 per month in Drummondville vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Drummondville $2,301
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,085 per month in Drummondville vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Drummondville $3,085
San Jose $4,054

Drummondville is about 28% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Drummondville and San Jose sit above the global median – Drummondville by 12%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.98 CA$18.25

$12.37 ₡5,563

4.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.4 CA$92.0

$62.4 ₡28.0K

4.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.52 CA$13.39

$11.71 ₡5,264

-18.70%

Cappuccino

$3.06 CA$4.30

$4.54 ₡2,040

-32.60%

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

$1.38 CA$1.94

$2.75 ₡1,238

-49.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 CA$1.52

$1.86 ₡837

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.50 CA$4.93

$3.35 ₡1,505

4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 CA$6.89

$4.32 ₡1,944

13.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 CA$2.15

$2.36 ₡1,061

-35.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.87

$3.07 ₡1,379

-33.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 CA$1.98

$2.51 ₡1,128

-43.82%

Eggs

$2.71 CA$3.82

$3.53 ₡1,585

-23.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 CA$12.61

$10.54 ₡4,738

-14.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.14 CA$14.26

$10.57 ₡4,754

-4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 CA$15.57

$13.92 ₡6,261

-20.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.44

$5.20 ₡2,338

-39.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.85

$1.65 ₡740

-20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.06

$4.89 ₡2,198

-26.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.86

$3.84 ₡1,728

-9.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.69

$3.91 ₡1,757

-51.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.76 ₡1,692

-51.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 CA$2.96

$1.12 ₡504

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 CA$1.62

$3.22 ₡1,447

-64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.39 CA$17.42

$6.02 ₡2,706

105.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.77 CA$15.14

$19.84 ₡8,919

-45.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$2.81 ₡1,264

1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 CA$4.59

$3.65 ₡1,643

-10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 CA$2.80

$1.08 ₡487

84.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.40 CA$59.6

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-35.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 CA$4.75

$2.26 ₡1,018

49.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 CA$2.83

$1.78 ₡799

12.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.29 CA$46.82

$7.90 ₡3,551

321.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.68

$1.50 ₡673

-20.00%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-14.54%

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

$21.3K CA$29.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-49.69%

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

$54.5 CA$76.7

$93.2 ₡41.9K

-41.49%

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

$30.95 CA$43.53

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-14.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.55 CA$64.1

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-24.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.48 CA$45.68

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-52.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.03 CA$18.32

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-47.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 CA$12.21

$7.67 ₡3,449

13.17%

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

$721 CA$1,013

$972 ₡436.9K

-25.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,476 CA$3,482

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-86.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.34 CA$30.01

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-69.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.81 CA$70.1

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 CA$101

$129 ₡57.8K

-44.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.84 CA$50.4

$131 ₡58.8K

-72.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 CA$1,133

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-31.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 CA$974

$943 ₡424.1K

-26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 CA$1,638

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-41.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 CA$1,532

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-22.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 CA$3,745

$987 ₡443.6K

169.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

8.62

-46.17%

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

Last update for Drummondville: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Drummondville

$693 45.7%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 36.2% $251

Groceries & Markets

Drummondville

$292 19.3%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 37.8% $111

Eating Out

Drummondville

$206 13.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 12.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drummondville

$131 8.6%

San Jose

$190 9% 44.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Drummondville

$80 5.3%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 117% $94

Getting Around

Drummondville

$64 4.2%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 26.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Drummondville

$50 3.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 69% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $806 in Drummondville versus $1,170 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 in Drummondville are about 2.7 times higher, 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 $65 in Drummondville versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $292 in Drummondville vs $403 in San Jose – so Drummondville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Drummondville

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h behind Drummondville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,089

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Drummondville San Jose 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Drummondville
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,516 in Drummondville, $2,107 in San Jose – Drummondville comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Drummondville and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Drummondville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $806 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Groceries cost about 38% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Drummondville and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Drummondville, where all-in costs run around $1,516, than in San Jose at $2,107. In Drummondville it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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