Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Joliette

For one person, living is cheaper in Joliette: $1,717 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Joliette
Learn more

Joliette Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Joliette

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,717 in Joliette, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Joliette $1,717

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,629 in Joliette, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Joliette $2,629

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,542 in Joliette, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Joliette $3,542

San Jose costs about 23% more than Joliette, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both San Jose and Joliette sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Joliette by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.60 CA$24.75

-29.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$53.8 CA$75.7

15.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.50 CA$14.76

11.52%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$2.43 CA$3.42

86.83%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.03 CA$2.85

35.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.82 CA$2.56

2.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.35 CA$6.11

-22.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.35 CA$8.93

-31.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.38 CA$3.35

-0.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.55 CA$3.59

20.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.01 CA$4.24

-16.61%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$2.43 CA$3.42

45.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.71 CA$16.46

-9.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.90 CA$16.73

-11.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$18.48 CA$25.99

-24.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.67 CA$5.15

41.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.31 CA$1.85

25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.78 CA$5.31

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.51 CA$4.93

9.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.63 CA$3.70

48.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.29 CA$3.22

64.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.59 CA$2.24

-29.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.54 CA$2.16

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$14.45 CA$20.32

-58.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.40 CA$17.43

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.58 CA$3.63

8.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.19 CA$4.48

14.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.26 CA$3.17

-52.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$61.9 CA$87.1

5.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.79 CA$3.92

-19.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.49 CA$2.10

19.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$18.92 CA$26.61

-58.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$0.99 CA$1.39

51.52%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.1K CA$38.1K

23.42%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$22.5K CA$31.6K

88.35%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$136 CA$192

-31.67%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$37.62 CA$52.9

-3.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$51.4 CA$72.2

17.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$37.77 CA$53.1

82.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$18.01 CA$25.32

38.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$13.01 CA$18.30

-41.05%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$838 CA$1,179

15.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$16.0K CA$22.6K

17.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$50.3 CA$70.7

40.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$37.63 CA$52.9

50.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$86.3 CA$121

49.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$97.9 CA$138

33.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$653 CA$919

79.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$611 CA$859

54.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,274 CA$1,792

55.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,083 CA$1,523

29.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$4,419 CA$6,215

-39.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$3,567 CA$5,017

-42.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$2,735 CA$3,846

-63.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.16

107.21%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Joliette: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Joliette

$611 35.6% 35.2% $332

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Joliette

$361 21.1% 10.3% $41

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Joliette

$251 14.6% 8.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Joliette

$225 13.1% 18.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Joliette

$122 7.1% 29.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Joliette

$64 3.7% 24.3% $20

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Joliette

$81 4.7% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $653 in Joliette. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Joliette are about 2.8 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $54 in Joliette. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $361 – making Joliette the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Joliette

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

20,484

💱 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 Joliette 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Joliette

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 Joliette: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $2,575 in Joliette. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Joliette, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $653 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $838 in Joliette. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in San Jose, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $1,717 in Joliette, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Joliette – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Joliette is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 19% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.