Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton, Canada and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,378 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hamilton outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,378

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,378 in Hamilton versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Hamilton $2,378
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,390 in Hamilton versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Hamilton $3,390
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,402 in Hamilton versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Hamilton $4,402
San Jose $4,054

Living in Hamilton is roughly 13% 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: Hamilton 76% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.01 CA$25.24

$12.37 ₡5,563

45.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 CA$94.6

$62.4 ₡28.0K

8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.27 CA$17.19

$11.71 ₡5,264

4.78%

Cappuccino

$3.45 CA$4.83

$4.54 ₡2,040

-24.01%

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

$2.15 CA$3.02

$2.75 ₡1,238

-21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$1.86 ₡837

-10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 CA$7.15

$3.35 ₡1,505

52.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.30 CA$8.83

$4.32 ₡1,944

45.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.83

$2.36 ₡1,061

-14.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$3.07 ₡1,379

-31.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 CA$4.59

$2.51 ₡1,128

30.28%

Eggs

$3.28 CA$4.59

$3.53 ₡1,585

-7.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 CA$11.43

$10.54 ₡4,738

-22.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.27

$10.57 ₡4,754

9.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.74 CA$20.66

$13.92 ₡6,261

5.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.69

$5.20 ₡2,338

-21.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.88

$1.65 ₡740

-18.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.60

$4.89 ₡2,198

-18.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.52

$3.84 ₡1,728

2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$3.91 ₡1,757

-29.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CA$2.79

$3.76 ₡1,692

-47.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CA$2.92

$1.12 ₡504

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.98

$3.22 ₡1,447

-56.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.37 CA$17.34

$6.02 ₡2,706

105.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.49 CA$20.31

$19.84 ₡8,919

-26.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 CA$3.69

$2.81 ₡1,264

-6.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 CA$5.47

$3.65 ₡1,643

6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 CA$3.80

$1.08 ₡487

150.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 CA$127

$65.2 ₡29.3K

38.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 CA$4.95

$2.26 ₡1,018

56.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 CA$1.82

$1.78 ₡799

-26.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.78 CA$33.33

$7.90 ₡3,551

201.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.50 ₡673

-19.33%

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

$26.5K CA$37.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-20.95%

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

$21.8K CA$30.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-48.36%

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

$155 CA$217

$93.2 ₡41.9K

65.81%

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

$42.03 CA$58.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

16.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$71.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-15.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.22 CA$47.96

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-50.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 CA$24.71

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-29.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 CA$14.66

$7.67 ₡3,449

36.38%

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

$394 CA$553

$972 ₡436.9K

-59.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K CA$31.7K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

19.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.03 CA$68.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-30.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.10 CA$43.60

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-45.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 CA$124

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 CA$162

$131 ₡58.8K

-11.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 CA$1,809

$1,170 ₡525.9K

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,704

$943 ₡424.1K

28.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 CA$2,808

$1,984 ₡892.0K

0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,790 CA$2,509

$1,400 ₡629.5K

27.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,132 CA$4,390

$2,681 ₡1.2M

16.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,635 CA$3,693

$2,037 ₡915.8K

29.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 CA$4,243

$987 ₡443.6K

206.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

8.62

-46.64%

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

Last update for Hamilton: 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

Hamilton

$1.2K 51.1%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 22.4% $272

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$345 14.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 16.6% $57

Eating Out

Hamilton

$276 11.6%

San Jose

$232 11% 15.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$248 10.4%

San Jose

$190 9% 23.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$128 5.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 36.2% $46

Getting Around

Hamilton

$111 4.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 27.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$55 2.3%

San Jose

$84 4% 52.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,291 in Hamilton and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $67 in Hamilton vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $403, with Hamilton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

01:54 1:54 AM

1 h behind Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

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

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

From you

Hamilton
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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

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

San Jose is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Hamilton 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: $1,291 in Hamilton versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $394 in Hamilton versus $972 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hamilton pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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, Hamilton on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.