Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Saint-Jérôme

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Jérôme: $1,679 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Jérôme
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Saint-Jérôme Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Saint-Jérôme

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Saint-Jérôme

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 Saint-Jérôme actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,679 in Saint-Jérôme, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Saint-Jérôme $1,679

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,693 in Saint-Jérôme, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Saint-Jérôme $2,693

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,707 in Saint-Jérôme, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Saint-Jérôme $3,707

San Jose costs about 26% more than Saint-Jérôme, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both San Jose and Saint-Jérôme sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Saint-Jérôme by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$15.56 CA$21.81

-20.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$71.5 CA$100

-12.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.55 CA$14.79

11.00%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.02 CA$4.23

50.33%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.52 CA$3.53

9.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.99 CA$2.79

-6.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.05 CA$7.08

-33.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.34 CA$8.89

-31.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$3.21 CA$4.51

-26.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.55 CA$3.57

20.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.56 CA$4.98

-29.49%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.40 CA$4.76

3.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$6.22 CA$8.72

69.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$15.94 CA$22.34

-33.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$17.92 CA$25.12

-22.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.72 CA$5.21

39.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$2.54 CA$3.56

-35.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.47 CA$6.27

9.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.11 CA$5.76

-6.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.95 CA$4.14

32.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.55 CA$3.57

47.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.40 CA$3.36

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$3.79 CA$5.31

-15.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$10.79 CA$15.12

-44.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$10.90 CA$15.27

82.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.64 CA$2.30

71.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.66 CA$5.13

-0.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$3.20 CA$4.49

-66.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$74.1 CA$104

-11.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.44 CA$2.02

4.17%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$57.6 CA$80.7

61.84%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$34.37 CA$48.18

5.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$42.20 CA$59.2

43.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$14.24 CA$19.96

384.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$8.52 CA$11.95

-9.98%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$52.7 CA$73.8

34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$19.96 CA$27.98

183.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$109 CA$153

17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$70.1 CA$98.3

86.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$801 CA$1,122

46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$649 CA$909

45.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,453 CA$2,037

36.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,228 CA$1,722

13.97%

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

$2,774 CA$3,889

-64.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saint-Jérôme: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Saint-Jérôme

$649 38.6% 31.2% $294

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Saint-Jérôme

$416 24.8% 3.4% $14

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Saint-Jérôme

$248 14.8% 6.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Saint-Jérôme

$134 8% 29.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Saint-Jérôme

$113 6.8% 34.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Saint-Jérôme

$31 1.9% 62.9% $53

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Saint-Jérôme

$87 * 5.2% 7.7% $6.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $801 in Saint-Jérôme. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Saint-Jérôme 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 $72 in Saint-Jérôme. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $416 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Saint-Jérôme

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

80,213

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

San Jose Saint-Jérôme 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Saint-Jérôme

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 Saint-Jérôme: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 26%, 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 $2,519 in Saint-Jérôme. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Jérôme, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $801 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,679 in Saint-Jérôme. That makes Saint-Jérôme about 20% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $72 in Saint-Jérôme. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $1,679 in Saint-Jérôme, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,679 in Saint-Jérôme to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.