Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ontario, CA and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,867 in Ontario, CA, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Ontario, CA
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Ontario, CA Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Ontario, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,867

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,867 in Ontario, CA versus $1,938 in San Jose.

Ontario, CA $2,867
San Jose $1,938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,937 in Ontario, CA versus $2,936 in San Jose.

Ontario, CA $2,937
San Jose $2,936

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,007 in Ontario, CA versus $3,934 in San Jose.

Ontario, CA $3,007
San Jose $3,934

Living in Ontario, CA is roughly 48% 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: Ontario, CA 112% above, San Jose 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.91 $19.91

$12.38 ₡5,551

60.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$60.9 ₡27.3K

28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.13 $15.13

$11.45 ₡5,135

32.14%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$4.39 ₡1,967

28.47%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$2.70 ₡1,211

14.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.93 ₡864

19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 $7.26

$3.20 ₡1,433

126.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.37 $9.37

$4.41 ₡1,979

112.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.44 ₡1,093

-57.38%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.05 ₡1,369

31.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.41 ₡1,081

98.76%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$3.40 ₡1,523

34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 $12.97

$10.75 ₡4,823

20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$10.43 ₡4,679

-15.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 $15.66

$13.99 ₡6,273

11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$5.25 ₡2,353

-12.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.59 ₡712

6.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$4.69 ₡2,103

-15.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.95 ₡1,770

40.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.92 ₡1,760

-8.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$3.68 ₡1,651

-37.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.12 ₡503

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$3.19 ₡1,429

-39.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$6.00 ₡2,692

92.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$19.56 ₡8,771

-24.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.82 ₡1,263

-31.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.59 ₡1,611

15.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.12 ₡503

37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.84 $29.84

$66.8 ₡30.0K

-55.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 $6.08

$2.50 ₡1,119

143.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.56 ₡701

-1.92%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

65.40%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-24.38%

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

$222 $222

$95.2 ₡42.7K

132.71%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$35.58 ₡16.0K

93.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$58.6 ₡26.3K

5.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.0 $64.0

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-11.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.79 $28.79

$24.85 ₡11.1K

15.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$7.58 ₡3,401

136.02%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$1,001 ₡449.0K

16.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 $58.3

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 $40.76

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-26.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$130 ₡58.2K

-29.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$131 ₡58.7K

-20.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$927 ₡415.8K

104.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 $1,503

$774 ₡347.2K

94.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$1,967 ₡882.0K

34.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 $3,989

$2,274 ₡1.0M

75.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,666 $3,666

$1,831 ₡821.0K

100.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,613 $3,613

$1,016 ₡455.8K

255.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

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

Last update for Ontario, CA: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ontario, CA

$1.5K 52.4%

San Jose

$774 40% 48.5% $728

Groceries & Markets

Ontario, CA

$389 13.6%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ontario, CA

$352 12.3%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 46.2% $163

Eating Out

Ontario, CA

$349 12.2%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 34.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Ontario, CA

$133 4.6%

San Jose

$174 9% 31.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Ontario, CA

$100 3.5%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 12% $12

Getting Around

Ontario, CA

$42 * 1.5%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 94.8% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,900 in Ontario, CA and $927 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ontario, CA pays 256% 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: $78.0 in Ontario, CA vs $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $401, with Ontario, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ontario, CA

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

1 h ahead of Ontario, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

185,000

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ontario, CA San Jose 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ontario, CA
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

Ontario, CA vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 256% higher in Ontario, CA, 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: $1,900 in Ontario, CA versus $927 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,164 in Ontario, CA versus $1,001 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ontario, CA pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,867 in Ontario, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Ontario, CA. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ontario, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Ontario, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.