Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Burns Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Burns Lake outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Burns Lake
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Burns Lake Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Burns Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Burns Lake

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Burns Lake $2,212

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $3,200 in Burns Lake, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Burns Lake $3,200

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $4,187 in Burns Lake, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Burns Lake $4,187

San Jose is about 12% cheaper than Burns Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and Burns Lake sit above the global median – San Jose by 44%, Burns Lake by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$15.66 CA$22.14

-20.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$71.4 CA$101

-14.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$10.40 CA$14.70

10.10%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.73 CA$5.27

17.69%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.06 CA$2.91

31.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.50 CA$2.12

28.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$4.83 CA$6.83

-33.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$4.88 CA$6.90

-9.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.73 CA$2.45

41.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.24 CA$3.16

36.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.49 CA$4.94

-30.95%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.20 CA$4.53

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$9.50 CA$13.43

13.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$9.79 CA$13.84

6.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$12.72 CA$17.99

9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$3.62 CA$5.12

45.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.35 CA$1.91

17.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$3.81 CA$5.38

23.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$3.94 CA$5.57

0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.47 CA$3.50

58.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.03 CA$2.86

81.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.65 CA$3.75

-57.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.80 CA$2.55

77.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$14.20 CA$20.07

-57.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$12.85 CA$18.16

52.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.56 CA$3.61

10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.71 CA$3.84

32.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.37 CA$3.34

-52.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$55.3 CA$78.1

20.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.83 CA$4.00

-11.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.65 CA$2.33

-1.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$22.52 CA$31.84

-62.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 CA$1.68

31.09%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$26.0K CA$36.8K

-13.81%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$18.1K CA$25.6K

96.88%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$132 CA$187

-27.93%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$38.50 CA$54.4

-7.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$52.6 CA$74.3

11.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$40.39 CA$57.1

79.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$18.07 CA$25.54

37.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$11.00 CA$15.56

-31.09%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$756 CA$1,068

32.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$11.0K CA$15.6K

55.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$59.6 CA$84.3

18.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$43.17 CA$61.0

29.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$82.9 CA$117

56.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$111 CA$157

17.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,255 CA$1,774

-26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$1,137 CA$1,607

-31.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$1,937 CA$2,739

1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$1,720 CA$2,432

-25.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$4,807 CA$6,795

-52.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$3,129 CA$4,424

-41.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.66

84.98%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Burns Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Burns Lake

$1.1K 51.4% 46.8% $363

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Burns Lake

$331 15% 17.5% $70

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Burns Lake

$249 11.3% 8.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Burns Lake

$223 10.1% 17.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Burns Lake

$134 6% 23.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Burns Lake

$62 2.8% 29% $25

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Burns Lake

$76 3.4% 7.5% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $1,255 in Burns Lake. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $71.0 in Burns Lake. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in San Jose vs $331 in Burns Lake – so Burns Lake wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Burns Lake

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

1,779

💱 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 Burns Lake 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Burns Lake

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 Burns Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burns Lake costs about 14% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $3,318 in Burns Lake. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Burns Lake – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose and $71.0 in Burns Lake. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,938, than in Burns Lake at $2,212. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burns Lake it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Jose costs $1,938 versus $2,212 in Burns Lake. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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