Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Chilliwack

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,154 in Chilliwack, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chilliwack outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Chilliwack
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Chilliwack Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Chilliwack

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,154

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,154 in Chilliwack.

San Jose $1,938
Chilliwack $2,154

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $3,139 in Chilliwack.

San Jose $2,936
Chilliwack $3,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $4,125 in Chilliwack.

San Jose $3,934
Chilliwack $4,125

Living in San Jose costs roughly 10% less than in Chilliwack, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Chilliwack 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$14.10 CA$19.94

-12.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$51.6 CA$73.0

17.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.98 CA$12.70

27.51%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$4.36 CA$6.16

0.69%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.94 CA$2.75

39.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.56 CA$2.21

23.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$5.84 CA$8.26

-45.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$5.57 CA$7.88

-20.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$2.02 CA$2.85

20.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.84 CA$4.01

7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.39 CA$4.79

-28.91%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.15 CA$4.46

7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$13.82 CA$19.53

-22.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$13.93 CA$19.69

-25.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$20.15 CA$28.49

-30.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$4.33 CA$6.12

21.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.28 CA$1.81

24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$3.96 CA$5.60

18.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$5.50 CA$7.77

-28.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$4.10 CA$5.79

-4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.58 CA$3.65

42.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.76 CA$3.90

-59.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$2.38 CA$3.37

34.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$11.78 CA$16.65

-49.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$13.08 CA$18.49

49.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.01 CA$2.84

40.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.39 CA$3.38

50.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.92 CA$2.71

-41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$33.02 CA$46.68

102.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.97 CA$4.20

-15.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$2.27 CA$3.21

-28.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$24.86 CA$35.14

-65.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.28 CA$1.81

21.88%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$27.3K CA$38.6K

-17.91%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$18.6K CA$26.2K

91.75%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$124 CA$176

-23.49%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$44.16 CA$62.4

-19.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$66.9 CA$94.5

-12.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$40.15 CA$56.8

81.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$17.49 CA$24.73

42.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$11.89 CA$16.80

-36.25%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$358 CA$506

179.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$12.0K CA$17.0K

42.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$52.2 CA$73.8

35.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$41.19 CA$58.2

35.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$78.8 CA$111

64.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$97.1 CA$137

34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,161 CA$1,642

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$1,015 CA$1,434

-23.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$2,037 CA$2,880

-3.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$1,604 CA$2,268

-19.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$3,220 CA$4,552

-29.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$3,288 CA$4,649

-44.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$3,032 CA$4,287

-66.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.72

82.63%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chilliwack: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Chilliwack

$1K 47.1% 31% $240

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Chilliwack

$417 19.4% 4% $16

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Chilliwack

$246 11.4% 7.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Chilliwack

$235 10.9% 24.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Chilliwack

$121 5.6% 30.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Chilliwack

$64 3% 27.2% $24

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Chilliwack

$55 2.6% 32.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $1,161 in Chilliwack. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chilliwack pays 198% 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 $52.0 in Chilliwack. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $417, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Chilliwack

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

83,788

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Chilliwack 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Chilliwack

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 Chilliwack: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Chilliwack. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Jose the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 198% lower in Chilliwack. 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 $1,161 in Chilliwack. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,001 in San Jose versus $358 in Chilliwack. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Chilliwack. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,154 in Chilliwack, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Chilliwack. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Jose delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Jose hard to pass up.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Chilliwack. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.