Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Coquitlam

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,938 a month against $2,784 in Coquitlam, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Coquitlam outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Coquitlam
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Coquitlam Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Coquitlam

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,784 in Coquitlam.

San Jose $1,938
Coquitlam $2,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,936 in San Jose versus $3,921 in Coquitlam.

San Jose $2,936
Coquitlam $3,921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,934 in San Jose versus $5,058 in Coquitlam.

San Jose $3,934
Coquitlam $5,058

Living in San Jose costs roughly 30% less than in Coquitlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 44% above, Coquitlam 106% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$16.08 CA$22.74

-23.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$69.3 CA$97.9

-12.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$10.46 CA$14.78

9.46%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$3.77 CA$5.34

16.45%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$2.13 CA$3.01

26.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$1.61 CA$2.27

19.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$5.67 CA$8.02

-43.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$6.11 CA$8.64

-27.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$1.44 CA$2.04

69.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.52 CA$3.56

21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$2.69 CA$3.80

-10.41%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.88 CA$5.48

-12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$9.59 CA$13.56

12.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$13.46 CA$19.02

-22.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$19.57 CA$27.66

-28.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$3.94 CA$5.57

33.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$1.38 CA$1.95

15.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$3.95 CA$5.59

18.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$4.07 CA$5.76

-2.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$1.57 CA$2.22

149.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.75 CA$3.89

33.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.51 CA$3.54

-55.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.04 CA$1.47

206.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$15.62 CA$22.09

-61.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.70 CA$16.54

67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.63 CA$3.72

7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$2.88 CA$4.07

24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.22 CA$3.14

-49.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$74.4 CA$105

-10.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$2.68 CA$3.78

-6.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.37 CA$1.94

18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$24.47 CA$34.59

-65.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.34 CA$1.90

16.42%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$25.6K CA$36.3K

-12.61%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$18.6K CA$26.3K

91.62%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$81.0 CA$114

17.58%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$35.50 CA$50.2

0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$52.5 CA$74.2

11.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$20.62 CA$29.14

252.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

$10.61 CA$15.00

134.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$10.31 CA$14.57

-26.48%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$1,091 CA$1,542

-8.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$11.4K CA$16.1K

50.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$57.2 CA$80.9

23.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$32.93 CA$46.55

69.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$94.8 CA$134

36.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$95.8 CA$135

36.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$1,941 CA$2,745

-52.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$1,734 CA$2,452

-55.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$3,462 CA$4,894

-43.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$2,582 CA$3,651

-50.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

$6,099 CA$8,623

-62.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

$4,977 CA$7,036

-63.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

$2,953 CA$4,175

-65.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.28

101.40%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Last update for Coquitlam: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Coquitlam

$1.7K 62.3% 124% $960

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Coquitlam

$360 12.9% 10.3% $41

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Coquitlam

$261 9.4% 13.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Coquitlam

$169 6.1% 10.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Coquitlam

$126 4.5% 27.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Coquitlam

$41 1.5% 53.1% $47

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Coquitlam

$93 3.3% 13.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $927 in San Jose and $1,941 in Coquitlam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Coquitlam pays 191% 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 $69.0 in Coquitlam. Groceries flip the comparison at $401 vs $360, with Coquitlam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Coquitlam

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

148,625

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Coquitlam 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Coquitlam

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 Coquitlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 191% lower in Coquitlam. 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 $1,941 in Coquitlam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,938 per month in San Jose versus $2,784 in Coquitlam – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in San Jose runs roughly 11% less than in Coquitlam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,938 in San Jose versus $2,784 in Coquitlam, a $2,500 budget is realistic in San Jose but tight or insufficient in Coquitlam. The gap between the two cities makes San Jose the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, San Jose is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Coquitlam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find San Jose gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Coquitlam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.