Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,738 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,738 in Burnaby.

San Jose $1,938
Burnaby $2,738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $3,928 in Burnaby.

San Jose $2,936
Burnaby $3,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $5,117 in Burnaby.

San Jose $3,934
Burnaby $5,117

Living in San Jose costs roughly 29% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Burnaby 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$21.18 CA$29.94

-41.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$83.7 CA$118

-27.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.94 CA$12.64

28.08%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$4.66 CA$6.59

-5.79%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.30 CA$3.26

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.68 CA$2.38

14.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$8.45 CA$11.95

-62.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$5.81 CA$8.21

-24.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$2.30 CA$3.25

6.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.71 CA$3.83

12.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.53 CA$4.99

-31.73%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.08 CA$4.36

10.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$13.50 CA$19.08

-20.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$13.49 CA$19.08

-22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$25.16 CA$35.57

-44.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$4.46 CA$6.30

17.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.30 CA$1.84

22.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$4.52 CA$6.38

3.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$4.63 CA$6.54

-14.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.81 CA$3.97

39.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$3.47 CA$4.90

6.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.68 CA$3.79

-58.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$2.11 CA$2.99

51.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$13.99 CA$19.78

-57.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$13.46 CA$19.03

45.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.08 CA$2.94

35.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.28 CA$3.22

57.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.32 CA$3.28

-51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$79.5 CA$112

-16.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.87 CA$4.05

-12.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.50 CA$2.13

8.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$26.37 CA$37.27

-67.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.30 CA$1.84

20.00%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-18.77%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$18.7K CA$26.4K

90.67%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$120 CA$170

-20.90%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$43.55 CA$61.6

-18.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$53.1 CA$75.1

10.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$29.72 CA$42.01

144.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$10.33 CA$14.61

140.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$13.91 CA$19.67

-45.51%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$634 CA$897

57.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$51.7 CA$73.1

36.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$51.6 CA$73.0

8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$102 CA$144

27.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$77.4 CA$109

68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,628 CA$2,302

-43.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$1,491 CA$2,108

-48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$2,454 CA$3,469

-19.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$2,187 CA$3,092

-41.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$6,588 CA$9,313

-65.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$5,530 CA$7,817

-66.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$3,144 CA$4,445

-67.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.76

81.09%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Burnaby

$1.5K 54.4% 92.5% $717

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Burnaby

$425 15.5% 5.9% $24

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Burnaby

$322 11.8% 40.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Burnaby

$217 7.9% 14.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Burnaby

$127 4.6% 27% $47

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Burnaby

$58 2.1% 34.5% $30

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Burnaby

$99 3.6% 21% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $1,628 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 209% 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: $61.0 in San Jose vs $84.0 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $425 per month, with San Jose cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

17:09 5:09 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

249,125

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Burnaby 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Burnaby

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 Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Burnaby differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($1,938 vs $2,738 including rent). San Jose is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 209% lower in Burnaby. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $927 in San Jose versus $1,628 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Jose versus $634 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,738 in Burnaby, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Burnaby. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.