Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,951 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,951

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,951 in Quebec City versus $2,107 in San Jose.

Quebec City $1,951
San Jose $2,107

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,942 in Quebec City versus $3,081 in San Jose.

Quebec City $2,942
San Jose $3,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,933 in Quebec City versus $4,054 in San Jose.

Quebec City $3,933
San Jose $4,054

Living in Quebec City costs roughly 7% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 44% above, San Jose 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.76

$12.37 ₡5,563

71.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 CA$94.1

$62.4 ₡28.0K

7.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 CA$15.76

$11.71 ₡5,264

-4.01%

Cappuccino

$3.86 CA$5.41

$4.54 ₡2,040

-14.98%

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

$2.16 CA$3.03

$2.75 ₡1,238

-21.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.06

$1.86 ₡837

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.23

$3.35 ₡1,505

75.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.24

$4.32 ₡1,944

36.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.92

$2.36 ₡1,061

-11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.89

$3.07 ₡1,379

-9.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.86

$2.51 ₡1,128

66.53%

Eggs

$3.05 CA$4.28

$3.53 ₡1,585

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 CA$12.23

$10.54 ₡4,738

-17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 CA$15.03

$10.57 ₡4,754

1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.53 CA$14.76

$13.92 ₡6,261

-24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.75

$5.20 ₡2,338

-21.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.65 ₡740

-4.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.28

$4.89 ₡2,198

-22.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 CA$5.77

$3.84 ₡1,728

7.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 CA$3.99

$3.91 ₡1,757

-27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.95

$3.76 ₡1,692

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 CA$3.92

$1.12 ₡504

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$3.22 ₡1,447

-54.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.10 CA$21.16

$6.02 ₡2,706

150.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 CA$15.98

$19.84 ₡8,919

-42.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.81 ₡1,264

12.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 CA$4.75

$3.65 ₡1,643

-7.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 CA$3.92

$1.08 ₡487

158.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 CA$99.3

$65.2 ₡29.3K

8.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 CA$4.20

$2.26 ₡1,018

32.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.78 ₡799

-19.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.67 CA$48.60

$7.90 ₡3,551

338.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CA$1.89

$1.50 ₡673

-10.00%

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

$28.5K CA$39.9K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-14.92%

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

$22.7K CA$31.9K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-46.25%

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

$100 CA$141

$93.2 ₡41.9K

7.75%

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

$31.38 CA$43.98

$36.13 ₡16.2K

-13.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.42 CA$63.7

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-25.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.73 CA$48.68

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-49.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 CA$21.46

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-38.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.23

$7.67 ₡3,449

41.59%

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

$701 CA$982

$972 ₡436.9K

-27.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,407 CA$7,579

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-71.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.5

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-16.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 CA$73.3

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-7.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 CA$129

$129 ₡57.8K

-28.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$153

$131 ₡58.8K

-16.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 CA$1,472

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-10.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 CA$1,172

$943 ₡424.1K

-11.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 CA$2,382

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-14.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 CA$1,903

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-3.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,809 CA$6,741

$2,681 ₡1.2M

79.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,811 CA$3,940

$2,037 ₡915.8K

37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,975 CA$4,170

$987 ₡443.6K

201.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

8.62

-48.38%

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

Last update for Quebec City: 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

Quebec City

$836 42.9%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 12.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$343 17.6%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 17.4% $60

Eating Out

Quebec City

$306 15.7%

San Jose

$232 11% 23.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$177 9.1%

San Jose

$190 9% 7.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$141 7.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 23.7% $33

Getting Around

Quebec City

$92 4.7%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 12.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$56 2.9%

San Jose

$84 4% 49.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,050 in Quebec City and $1,170 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays about 3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67 in Quebec City vs $62 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $403, with Quebec City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

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

Quebec City San Jose 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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

Quebec City vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Quebec City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Quebec City is about 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: $1,050 in Quebec City versus $1,170 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,951 per month in Quebec City versus $2,107 in San Jose – Quebec City is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 8% less than in Quebec City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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.