Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kelowna and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,351 in Kelowna, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kelowna outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Kelowna
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Kelowna Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Kelowna

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,351

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,351 in Kelowna versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Kelowna $2,351
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,444 in Kelowna versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Kelowna $3,444
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,536 in Kelowna versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Kelowna $4,536
San Jose $3,857

Living in Kelowna is roughly 21% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kelowna 75% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.53 CA$23.56

$12.22 ₡5,510

35.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.2 CA$82.9

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-3.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 CA$16.19

$11.77 ₡5,305

-3.48%

Cappuccino

$3.91 CA$5.57

$4.30 ₡1,939

-9.07%

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

$1.97 CA$2.80

$2.72 ₡1,226

-27.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.84 ₡830

-7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 CA$6.44

$3.28 ₡1,480

37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$8.04

$4.36 ₡1,966

29.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.82

$2.38 ₡1,074

-16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 CA$3.90

$3.12 ₡1,408

-12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CA$5.02

$2.41 ₡1,086

46.06%

Eggs

$3.14 CA$4.47

$3.47 ₡1,564

-9.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 CA$12.89

$10.57 ₡4,767

-14.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 CA$18.63

$10.56 ₡4,758

23.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.06 CA$30.03

$13.75 ₡6,196

53.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 CA$4.76

$5.04 ₡2,274

-33.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 CA$2.20

$1.61 ₡727

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.82

$4.59 ₡2,069

-26.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CA$6.78

$3.84 ₡1,731

23.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.33

$3.77 ₡1,700

-19.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.44

$3.76 ₡1,693

-17.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CA$3.58

$1.12 ₡506

124.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 CA$2.66

$3.20 ₡1,441

-41.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.96

$5.84 ₡2,632

139.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 CA$19.08

$19.73 ₡8,897

-32.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 CA$3.68

$2.75 ₡1,240

-6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.42

$3.66 ₡1,650

-15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 CA$2.46

$1.12 ₡503

53.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.15 CA$68.6

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-26.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.98

$2.46 ₡1,110

13.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 CA$2.43

$1.54 ₡692

11.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.36 CA$47.55

$8.46 ₡3,815

294.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.82

$1.55 ₡699

-18.06%

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

$28.0K CA$39.9K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

29.11%

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

$17.9K CA$25.5K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-48.73%

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

$127 CA$181

$94.7 ₡42.7K

34.17%

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

$44.36 CA$63.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

26.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 CA$79.7

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 CA$78.5

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-23.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.27 CA$43.14

$25.19 ₡11.4K

20.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.71 CA$16.69

$7.83 ₡3,532

49.55%

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

$1,006 CA$1,433

$971 ₡437.9K

3.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.7K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 CA$67.2

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-34.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.66 CA$58.0

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-25.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$119

$129 ₡58.2K

-35.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.8 CA$138

$133 ₡60.0K

-27.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 CA$1,929

$934 ₡420.9K

44.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 CA$1,707

$770 ₡347.2K

55.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,267 CA$3,232

$1,945 ₡876.7K

16.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 CA$2,742

$1,316 ₡593.5K

46.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,893 CA$5,549

$2,277 ₡1.0M

70.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,207 CA$4,571

$1,795 ₡809.1K

78.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,012 CA$4,294

$1,006 ₡453.5K

199.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

8.62

-45.59%

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

Last update for Kelowna: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kelowna

$1.2K 51.2%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 35.7% $427

Groceries & Markets

Kelowna

$386 16.5%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 3.2% $13

Eating Out

Kelowna

$262 11.2%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kelowna

$227 9.7%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 17.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Kelowna

$121 5.2%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 45.1% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Kelowna

$78 3.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 11.9% $9.3

Getting Around

Kelowna

$66 2.8%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 20.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,353 in Kelowna and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kelowna pays 199% 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: $58.0 in Kelowna vs $60.0 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $399 per month, with Kelowna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kelowna

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

1 h ahead of Kelowna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,576

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kelowna San Jose 5,510 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kelowna
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

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

Kelowna and San Jose differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,351 vs $1,949 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 199% higher in Kelowna, 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: $1,353 in Kelowna versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,351 per month in Kelowna versus $1,949 in San Jose – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 35% less than in Kelowna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,949 in San Jose versus $2,351 in Kelowna, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Kelowna. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Kelowna and San Jose are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Kelowna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.