Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Owen Sound

For one person, living costs are similar in San Jose and in Owen Sound: $2,107 and $2,063 a month, rent and utilities included.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Owen Sound
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Owen Sound Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Owen Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,063

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Owen Sound

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in San Jose versus $2,063 in Owen Sound.

San Jose $2,107
Owen Sound $2,063

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in San Jose versus $3,121 in Owen Sound.

San Jose $3,081
Owen Sound $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in San Jose versus $4,180 in Owen Sound.

San Jose $4,054
Owen Sound $4,180

Monthly costs are close between San Jose and Owen Sound; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 56% above, Owen Sound 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.07 CA$19.79

-12.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$48.53 CA$68.3

28.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.04 CA$12.71

29.54%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.58 CA$5.03

26.82%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.22 CA$3.12

23.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.76 CA$2.47

5.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.22 CA$5.94

-20.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.65 CA$7.95

-23.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.50 CA$3.51

-5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.86 CA$4.02

7.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.46 CA$4.87

-27.46%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.16 CA$5.85

-15.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$9.93 CA$13.97

6.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$15.79 CA$22.21

-33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$23.69 CA$33.32

-41.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.31 CA$4.66

57.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.94 CA$2.73

-14.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.18 CA$4.48

53.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$2.90 CA$4.07

32.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.40 CA$3.37

62.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.76 CA$3.88

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.18 CA$3.07

-48.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.32 CA$1.86

143.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.94 CA$19.61

-56.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$13.68 CA$19.24

45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$4.54 CA$6.38

-38.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$5.05 CA$7.11

-27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.17 CA$3.05

-50.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$61.3 CA$86.2

6.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$4.70 CA$6.61

-51.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.37 CA$1.92

29.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$25.01 CA$35.17

-68.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.21 CA$1.71

23.97%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.4K CA$38.5K

22.17%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.8K CA$30.6K

94.38%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$90.7 CA$127

2.80%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$29.24 CA$41.12

23.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$46.38 CA$65.2

30.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$114 CA$161

-39.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$41.08 CA$57.8

-39.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$7.89 CA$11.10

-2.79%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$467 CA$656

108.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$7,013 CA$9,863

169.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$34.92 CA$49.11

102.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$27.24 CA$38.30

108.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$88.7 CA$125

45.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$108 CA$151

21.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,330 CA$1,871

-12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$921 CA$1,295

2.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,200 CA$3,094

-9.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,592 CA$2,239

-12.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$2,960 CA$4,162

-66.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.26

63.88%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Owen Sound: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Owen Sound

$921 44.6% 2.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Owen Sound

$417 20.2% 3.5% $14

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Owen Sound

$231 11.2% 0.6% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Owen Sound

$166 8.1% 12.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Owen Sound

$116 5.6% 33.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Owen Sound

$130 6.3% 54.5% $46

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Owen Sound

$82 4% 1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,170 in San Jose and $1,330 in Owen Sound. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Owen Sound pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in San Jose vs $49 in Owen Sound. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $417, with San Jose cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Owen Sound

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

21,341

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Owen Sound 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Owen Sound

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 Owen Sound: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $1,330 in Owen Sound. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Owen Sound runs roughly 6% less than in San Jose. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Shoppers in San Jose pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Owen Sound 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.