Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Ajax, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,560 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ajax, ON outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Ajax, ON

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Jose and in Ajax, ON actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,560 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Ajax, ON $2,560

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,626 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Ajax, ON $3,626

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,692 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Ajax, ON $4,692

San Jose is about 18% cheaper than Ajax, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Ajax, ON sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Ajax, ON by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.74 CA$24.94

-30.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$52.9 CA$74.4

17.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.92 CA$15.35

7.23%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.76 CA$5.28

20.74%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.82 CA$2.56

51.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.59 CA$2.24

16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$3.51 CA$4.94

-4.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.86 CA$8.25

-26.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.01 CA$2.83

17.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.02 CA$4.25

1.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.40 CA$4.79

-26.18%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.84 CA$5.40

-8.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.64 CA$14.96

-0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.61 CA$16.33

-8.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$17.22 CA$24.22

-19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.03 CA$5.66

29.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.67 CA$2.36

-1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.31 CA$4.65

47.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.35 CA$4.71

14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.32 CA$3.26

68.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.37 CA$3.33

58.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.25 CA$3.17

-50.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.93 CA$2.71

66.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$14.26 CA$20.06

-57.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$13.39 CA$18.83

48.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.13 CA$3.00

31.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.47 CA$3.47

47.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.39 CA$3.36

-54.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$86.4 CA$122

-24.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.13 CA$4.41

-27.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.41 CA$1.98

26.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$21.40 CA$30.10

-63.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.20 CA$1.69

25.00%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$28.8K CA$40.6K

16.06%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.3K CA$30.0K

98.49%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$128 CA$180

-27.28%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$29.21 CA$41.09

23.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$59.0 CA$83.0

2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$33.00 CA$46.40

108.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$10.86 CA$15.27

129.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.01 CA$14.08

-23.38%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$514 CA$723

88.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$23.3K CA$32.8K

-19.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$51.0 CA$71.8

38.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$53.2 CA$74.8

6.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$95.3 CA$134

34.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$104 CA$146

25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,526 CA$2,146

-23.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,418 CA$1,994

-33.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,271 CA$3,194

-12.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,164 CA$3,043

-35.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,065 CA$4,310

-67.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.8

79.58%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ajax, ON: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 55.4% 50.3% $475

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Ajax, ON

$367 14.4% 8.8% $35

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Ajax, ON

$263 10.3% 13% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Ajax, ON

$216 8.5% 14% $27

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Ajax, ON

$137 5.3% 21.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Ajax, ON

$53 2.1% 37.1% $31

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Ajax, ON

$106 4.1% 31.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,526 in Ajax, ON. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ajax, ON are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $53 in Ajax, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $367 – making Ajax, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

12:56 12:56 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

119,677

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Ajax, ON 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Ajax, ON

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

San Jose vs Ajax, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,840 in Ajax, ON. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,526 in Ajax, ON.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $2,560 in Ajax, ON. That makes San Jose about 18% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% less in San Jose. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $2,107, than in Ajax, ON at $2,560. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ajax, ON it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,560 in Ajax, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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