Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Hearst

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,266 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hearst outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

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

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
Learn more

Hearst Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,266 in Hearst.

San Jose $2,107
Hearst $2,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,257 in Hearst.

San Jose $3,081
Hearst $3,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,248 in Hearst.

San Jose $4,054
Hearst $4,248

Living in San Jose costs roughly 7% less than in Hearst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Hearst 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$18.11 CA$25.38

-31.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$63.8 CA$89.5

-2.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.50 CA$14.72

11.52%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.69 CA$5.17

23.04%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.07 CA$2.90

32.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.63 CA$2.29

14.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.11 CA$7.16

-34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.69 CA$7.97

-24.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.05 CA$2.87

15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.62 CA$3.67

17.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.50 CA$4.91

-28.29%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.53 CA$4.95

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.31 CA$14.45

2.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.37 CA$15.94

-7.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$14.66 CA$20.55

-5.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.93 CA$5.51

32.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.30 CA$1.83

26.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.71 CA$5.20

31.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.78 CA$5.30

1.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.34 CA$3.29

67.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.18 CA$3.06

72.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.44 CA$3.42

-54.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.60 CA$2.24

101.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$14.54 CA$20.38

-58.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.72 CA$17.83

55.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.68 CA$3.75

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.05 CA$4.28

19.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.35 CA$3.29

-54.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$63.0 CA$88.3

3.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.94 CA$4.12

-23.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.47 CA$2.06

21.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$23.99 CA$33.62

-67.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.21 CA$1.70

23.97%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.4K CA$38.4K

22.17%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.7K CA$30.4K

94.75%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$139 CA$194

-32.77%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$39.53 CA$55.4

-8.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$54.8 CA$76.8

10.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$38.30 CA$53.7

79.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$18.53 CA$25.97

34.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.78 CA$15.11

-28.85%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$639 CA$895

52.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$13.4K CA$18.8K

40.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$54.3 CA$76.1

30.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$38.41 CA$53.8

47.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$86.7 CA$122

48.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$103 CA$144

27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,267 CA$1,776

-7.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,138 CA$1,595

-17.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,968 CA$2,759

0.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,706 CA$2,392

-17.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$4,305 CA$6,034

-37.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$3,533 CA$4,953

-42.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,177 CA$4,453

-68.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.68

84.19%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hearst: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Hearst

$1.1K 50.2% 20.6% $195

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Hearst

$353 15.6% 12.3% $50

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Hearst

$272 12% 17.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Hearst

$233 10.3% 22.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Hearst

$127 5.6% 27.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Hearst

$60 2.6% 29% $24

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Hearst

$83 3.7% 2.4% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,267 in Hearst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $64 in Hearst. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $353, with Hearst cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Hearst

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Hearst 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Hearst

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 Hearst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $2,266 in Hearst, so San Jose is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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 $1,267 in Hearst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in San Jose versus $639 in Hearst. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hearst pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though San Jose gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – San Jose wins on affordability, Hearst on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.