Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mississauga and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,636 in Mississauga, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mississauga outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

126

Cost of Living Index in Mississauga
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Mississauga Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Mississauga

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,636

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,636 in Mississauga versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Mississauga $2,636
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,757 in Mississauga versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Mississauga $3,757
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Mississauga versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Mississauga $4,878
San Jose $4,054

Living in Mississauga is roughly 25% more expensive than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mississauga 95% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.58 CA$23.25

$12.37 ₡5,563

34.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 CA$102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

16.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.34

$11.71 ₡5,264

-6.58%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.36

$4.54 ₡2,040

-15.64%

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

$1.73 CA$2.43

$2.75 ₡1,238

-37.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.14

$1.86 ₡837

-17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 CA$8.20

$3.35 ₡1,505

74.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$4.32 ₡1,944

32.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.98 CA$4.18

$2.36 ₡1,061

26.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$3.07 ₡1,379

-14.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$2.51 ₡1,128

-1.20%

Eggs

$4.45 CA$6.24

$3.53 ₡1,585

26.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.09

$10.54 ₡4,738

2.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.77 CA$15.10

$10.57 ₡4,754

1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$17.91

$13.92 ₡6,261

-8.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.77

$5.20 ₡2,338

-34.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.65 ₡740

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.72

$4.89 ₡2,198

-31.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.84

$3.84 ₡1,728

8.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 CA$2.38

$3.91 ₡1,757

-56.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$3.76 ₡1,692

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.31

$1.12 ₡504

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.15

$3.22 ₡1,447

-52.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.99 CA$21.02

$6.02 ₡2,706

149.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.72 CA$17.83

$19.84 ₡8,919

-35.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.39

$2.81 ₡1,264

-13.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$3.65 ₡1,643

-27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 CA$3.97

$1.08 ₡487

162.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CA$141

$65.2 ₡29.3K

53.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 CA$4.19

$2.26 ₡1,018

32.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.77

$1.78 ₡799

-29.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.19 CA$29.70

$7.90 ₡3,551

168.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.70

$1.50 ₡673

-19.33%

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

$27.2K CA$38.1K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-18.71%

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

$22.4K CA$31.4K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-47.02%

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

$135 CA$190

$93.2 ₡41.9K

45.14%

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

$34.86 CA$48.87

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-3.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.67 CA$64.0

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-24.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.16 CA$50.7

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-47.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.61 CA$48.52

$24.94 ₡11.2K

38.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 CA$16.12

$7.67 ₡3,449

49.93%

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

$343 CA$481

$972 ₡436.9K

-64.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K CA$26.2K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-1.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.43 CA$63.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-35.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 CA$52.5

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-33.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 CA$124

$129 ₡57.8K

-31.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$131 ₡58.8K

-19.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 CA$2,412

$1,170 ₡525.9K

47.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,501 CA$2,104

$943 ₡424.1K

59.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 CA$3,458

$1,984 ₡892.0K

24.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 CA$3,154

$1,400 ₡629.5K

60.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,066 CA$9,904

$2,681 ₡1.2M

163.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,417 CA$7,593

$2,037 ₡915.8K

165.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,255 CA$4,563

$987 ₡443.6K

229.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

8.62

-47.22%

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

Last update for Mississauga: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mississauga

$1.5K 57%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 37.2% $558

Groceries & Markets

Mississauga

$349 13.2%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 15.4% $54

Eating Out

Mississauga

$265 10.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 12.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mississauga

$216 8.2%

San Jose

$190 9% 12% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Mississauga

$124 4.7%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 39.8% $50

Getting Around

Mississauga

$121 4.6%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 33.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Mississauga

$59 2.2%

San Jose

$84 4% 42.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,721 in Mississauga and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mississauga pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Mississauga vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $349 vs $403, with Mississauga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Mississauga

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h behind Mississauga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

721,599

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

Mississauga San Jose 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mississauga
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,636 in Mississauga and $2,107 in San Jose, so San Jose is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mississauga is about 3.3 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: $1,721 in Mississauga versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $73 in Mississauga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,636 per month in Mississauga versus $2,107 in San Jose – San Jose is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,636 in Mississauga, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Mississauga. 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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Mississauga on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.