Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oshawa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,370 in Oshawa.

San Jose $2,107
Oshawa $2,370

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,414 in Oshawa.

San Jose $3,081
Oshawa $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,457 in Oshawa.

San Jose $4,054
Oshawa $4,457

Living in San Jose costs roughly 11% less than in Oshawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Oshawa 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.25 CA$19.98

-13.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$63.6 CA$89.1

-1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$8.33 CA$11.67

40.58%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.54 CA$4.97

28.25%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.77 CA$2.48

55.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.36 CA$1.91

36.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.86 CA$6.81

-31.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.04 CA$8.47

-28.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.91 CA$4.08

-18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.91 CA$4.07

5.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$4.12 CA$5.77

-39.08%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$2.97 CA$4.16

18.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.14 CA$14.21

3.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$13.74 CA$19.27

-23.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$16.60 CA$23.27

-16.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.20 CA$5.89

23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.22 CA$1.71

35.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$2.94 CA$4.12

66.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.84 CA$5.39

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.36 CA$4.71

16.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.57 CA$3.60

46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.35 CA$3.29

-52.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.73 CA$2.42

86.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$14.29 CA$20.03

-57.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.63 CA$17.70

57.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$3.53 CA$4.94

-20.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.49 CA$4.89

4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.82 CA$3.95

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$87.1 CA$122

-25.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.74 CA$3.84

-17.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.44 CA$2.01

23.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$19.58 CA$27.44

-59.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.24 CA$1.74

20.97%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$28.8K CA$40.3K

16.31%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$22.9K CA$32.1K

84.56%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$139 CA$195

-32.93%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$37.94 CA$53.2

-4.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$54.3 CA$76.2

11.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$22.91 CA$32.11

200.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$29.28 CA$41.05

-14.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.86 CA$15.23

-29.37%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$922 CA$1,292

5.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$8,083 CA$11.3K

133.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$58.3 CA$81.7

21.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$57.7 CA$80.8

-1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$107 CA$150

20.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$129 CA$181

1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,400 CA$1,963

-16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,207 CA$1,692

-21.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,003 CA$2,807

-0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,824 CA$2,556

-23.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$5,158 CA$7,230

-48.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$10.3K CA$14.5K

-80.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,049 CA$4,274

-67.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.53

90.29%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9% 28% $264

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Oshawa

$390 16.5% 3.2% $13

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Oshawa

$230 9.7% 0.8% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Oshawa

$231 9.8% 21.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Oshawa

$158 6.7% 9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Oshawa

$45 1.9% 47% $40

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Oshawa

$108 4.6% 34.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oshawa pays about 3.1 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 Oshawa. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $390, with Oshawa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

159,458

💱 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 Oshawa 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Oshawa

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 Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Oshawa. 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 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 $1,400 in Oshawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $62 versus $64 in Oshawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,107 per month in San Jose versus $2,370 in Oshawa – San Jose is about 11% 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.

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