Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Chatham-Kent

For one person, living is cheaper in Chatham-Kent: $1,931 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in San Jose despite lower rent and utilities.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Chatham-Kent
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Chatham-Kent Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Chatham-Kent

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Chatham-Kent

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 Chatham-Kent actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $1,931 in Chatham-Kent.

San Jose $2,107
Chatham-Kent $1,931

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $2,813 in Chatham-Kent.

San Jose $3,081
Chatham-Kent $2,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $3,696 in Chatham-Kent.

San Jose $4,054
Chatham-Kent $3,696

Living in San Jose is roughly 9% more expensive than in Chatham-Kent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Chatham-Kent 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.50 CA$20.39

-14.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$56.5 CA$79.4

10.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.69 CA$15.03

9.54%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.28 CA$4.61

38.41%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.91 CA$2.69

43.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.22 CA$1.71

52.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.93 CA$6.94

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.87 CA$8.25

-26.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.09 CA$1.53

116.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.45 CA$3.44

25.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.44 CA$3.43

2.87%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$2.92 CA$4.11

20.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.36 CA$15.98

-7.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$15.16 CA$21.31

-30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$16.41 CA$23.08

-15.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.36 CA$4.72

54.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.30 CA$1.83

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.31 CA$4.66

47.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.52 CA$4.95

9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.39 CA$1.95

181.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$1.86 CA$2.62

102.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.70 CA$2.39

-34.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.28 CA$1.80

151.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$12.75 CA$17.92

-52.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$10.03 CA$14.11

97.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.14 CA$1.61

146.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$1.20 CA$1.69

204.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.74 CA$2.45

-37.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.15 CA$4.42

-28.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.84 CA$2.58

-3.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$28.59 CA$40.20

-72.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.07 CA$1.51

40.19%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.2K CA$38.3K

22.97%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$20.9K CA$29.4K

102.40%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$142 CA$200

-34.53%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$27.62 CA$38.84

30.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$43.81 CA$61.6

38.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$11.13 CA$15.66

-31.09%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$350 CA$493

177.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$15.8K CA$22.2K

19.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$62.9 CA$88.5

12.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$33.34 CA$46.89

70.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$82.7 CA$116

55.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$77.6 CA$109

68.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,410 CA$1,983

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$994 CA$1,398

-5.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,817 CA$2,555

9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,584 CA$2,228

-11.61%

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

$3,131 CA$4,404

-68.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.05

70.69%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chatham-Kent: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Chatham-Kent

$994 51.5% 5.4% $51

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Chatham-Kent

$330 17.1% 18.2% $73

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Chatham-Kent

$236 12.2% 1.7% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Chatham-Kent

$214 11.1% 12.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Chatham-Kent

$115 6% 33.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Chatham-Kent

$22 * 1.2% 73.6% $62

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Chatham-Kent

$19 * 1% 76.1% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,410 in Chatham-Kent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chatham-Kent pays about 3.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $56 in Chatham-Kent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $330 per month, with Chatham-Kent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Chatham-Kent

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Chatham-Kent 3,590 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Chatham-Kent

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 Chatham-Kent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham-Kent wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chatham-Kent the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 68% lower in San Jose. 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: $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,410 in Chatham-Kent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $1,931 in Chatham-Kent – Chatham-Kent is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.