Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Westminster and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,526 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,526

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,526 per month in New Westminster vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

New Westminster $2,526
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $3,900 per month in New Westminster vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

New Westminster $3,900
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $5,273 per month in New Westminster vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

New Westminster $5,273
San Jose $3,934

New Westminster costs about 30% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both New Westminster and San Jose sit above the global median – New Westminster by 87%, San Jose by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.28 CA$27.40

$12.38 ₡5,562

55.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.65 CA$70.6

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-18.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 CA$14.39

$11.45 ₡5,145

-11.62%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.93

$4.39 ₡1,971

-20.96%

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

$1.85 CA$2.63

$2.70 ₡1,213

-31.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$1.93 ₡865

-19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 CA$8.20

$3.20 ₡1,436

80.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$8.00

$4.41 ₡1,982

27.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$2.44 ₡1,095

-27.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 CA$3.32

$3.05 ₡1,372

-23.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 CA$4.90

$2.41 ₡1,083

43.15%

Eggs

$3.01 CA$4.28

$3.40 ₡1,526

-11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 CA$15.35

$10.75 ₡4,832

0.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.33 CA$21.79

$10.43 ₡4,688

46.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.67 CA$37.91

$13.99 ₡6,286

90.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.37

$5.25 ₡2,357

-28.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.59 ₡713

-6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.11

$4.69 ₡2,107

-23.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.20

$3.95 ₡1,774

-7.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.32

$3.92 ₡1,763

-40.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.15

$3.68 ₡1,655

-39.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$1.12 ₡504

108.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.56

$3.19 ₡1,432

-43.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.33 CA$21.79

$6.00 ₡2,697

155.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$19.56 ₡8,788

-45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 CA$2.87

$2.82 ₡1,266

-28.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 CA$3.86

$3.59 ₡1,614

-24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 CA$3.58

$1.12 ₡504

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.3 CA$128

$66.8 ₡30.0K

35.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 CA$2.91

$2.50 ₡1,121

-18.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 CA$2.44

$1.63 ₡734

5.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.76 CA$32.34

$8.50 ₡3,819

167.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$1.56 ₡702

-19.23%

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

$23.9K CA$33.9K

$22.4K ₡10.1M

6.46%

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

$19.0K CA$27.0K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-46.62%

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

$139 CA$197

$95.2 ₡42.8K

45.68%

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

$42.09 CA$59.8

$35.58 ₡16.0K

18.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 CA$89.5

$58.6 ₡26.3K

7.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.42 CA$46.08

$72.7 ₡32.7K

-55.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.27 CA$24.55

$24.85 ₡11.2K

-30.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 CA$16.96

$7.58 ₡3,408

57.52%

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

$758 CA$1,078

$1,001 ₡449.9K

-24.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,536 CA$12.1K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-50.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$74.3

$70.5 ₡31.7K

-25.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 CA$59.4

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-25.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 CA$110

$130 ₡58.3K

-40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 CA$137

$131 ₡58.8K

-26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 CA$2,200

$927 ₡416.6K

66.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 CA$1,875

$774 ₡347.9K

70.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,841 CA$4,038

$1,967 ₡883.7K

44.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,620 CA$3,724

$1,288 ₡578.7K

103.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,810 CA$6,836

$2,274 ₡1.0M

111.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,025 CA$5,721

$1,831 ₡822.6K

119.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 CA$4,248

$1,016 ₡456.7K

194.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

8.62

-45.24%

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

Last update for New Westminster: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Westminster

$1.3K 52.2%

San Jose

$774 40% 41.3% $545

Groceries & Markets

New Westminster

$396 15.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 1.4% $5.5

Eating Out

New Westminster

$280 11.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 18.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Westminster

$244 9.7%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 22.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

New Westminster

$121 4.8%

San Jose

$174 9% 44.2% $53

Getting Around

New Westminster

$111 4.4%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 26.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

New Westminster

$56 2.2%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 56% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,548 in New Westminster 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 194% higher in New Westminster, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in New Westminster versus $61.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $401 – making New Westminster the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

1 h ahead of New Westminster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Westminster San Jose 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

New Westminster
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

New Westminster vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Westminster costs about 30% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,790 per month in New Westminster 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 San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $758 per month in New Westminster 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 1% cheaper in New Westminster – 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 San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in New Westminster at $2,526. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Westminster it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,938 versus $2,526 in New Westminster. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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