Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Belleville

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,383 in Belleville, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Belleville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Belleville
Learn more

Belleville Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Belleville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Belleville

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 Belleville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,383 in Belleville, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Belleville $2,383

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,274 in Belleville, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Belleville $3,274

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,165 in Belleville, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Belleville $4,165

San Jose is about 12% cheaper than Belleville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and Belleville sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Belleville by 76%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.70 CA$24.81

-30.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$55.0 CA$77.1

13.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.66 CA$14.94

9.85%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.59 CA$5.04

26.46%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.51 CA$2.12

82.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.36 CA$1.91

36.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.04 CA$7.07

-33.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.40 CA$7.57

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.84 CA$2.58

28.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.43 CA$3.41

26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.31 CA$3.24

8.66%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.58 CA$5.02

-1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$8.96 CA$12.56

17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$9.05 CA$12.69

16.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$14.76 CA$20.69

-5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.74 CA$5.25

39.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.28 CA$1.79

28.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.52 CA$4.93

38.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.19 CA$4.48

20.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.94 CA$2.72

101.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$1.56 CA$2.19

141.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.37 CA$3.33

-52.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.24 CA$1.73

159.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$12.34 CA$17.29

-51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$11.91 CA$16.70

66.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.19 CA$3.07

28.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.57 CA$3.61

42.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.60 CA$3.64

-58.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$61.1 CA$85.6

6.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.99 CA$4.19

-24.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.26 CA$1.77

41.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$22.22 CA$31.15

-64.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.12 CA$1.57

33.93%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$26.1K CA$36.6K

28.07%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$20.3K CA$28.5K

108.30%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$122 CA$171

-23.56%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$34.16 CA$47.89

5.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$48.35 CA$67.8

25.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$40.94 CA$57.4

68.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$23.49 CA$32.93

6.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.69 CA$14.98

-28.25%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$448 CA$628

116.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$18.4K CA$25.7K

2.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$33.56 CA$47.04

110.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$34.08 CA$47.78

66.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$100 CA$141

28.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$90.7 CA$127

44.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,553 CA$2,176

-24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,342 CA$1,881

-29.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,113 CA$2,962

-6.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,822 CA$2,554

-23.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,137 CA$2,996

25.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,329 CA$3,264

-12.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,074 CA$4,308

-67.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.45

93.71%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Belleville: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Belleville

$1.3K 56.3% 42.3% $399

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Belleville

$312 13.1% 22.4% $90

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Belleville

$264 11.1% 13.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Belleville

$204 8.6% 7.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Belleville

$116 4.9% 33.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Belleville

$62 2.6% 26% $22

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Belleville

$81 3.4% 0.1% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,553 in Belleville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belleville 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 $55 in Belleville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $312 – making Belleville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Belleville

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

50,716

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Belleville 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Belleville

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 Belleville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Belleville is pricier by about 13%, 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 $3,574 in Belleville. 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 $1,553 in Belleville.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $448 in Belleville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Belleville – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,383 in Belleville. 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, Belleville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.