Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Sherbrooke

For one person, living is cheaper in Sherbrooke: $1,844 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Sherbrooke
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Sherbrooke Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Sherbrooke

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $1,844 in Sherbrooke, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Sherbrooke $1,844

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,816 in Sherbrooke, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Sherbrooke $2,816

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,788 in Sherbrooke, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Sherbrooke $3,788

San Jose costs about 14% more than Sherbrooke, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both San Jose and Sherbrooke sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Sherbrooke by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$18.19 CA$25.50

-32.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$66.9 CA$93.7

-6.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.83 CA$15.18

8.13%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.24 CA$4.54

40.12%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.98 CA$2.78

38.89%

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

$5.63 CA$7.89

-40.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.10 CA$7.15

-15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.76 CA$3.87

-14.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.74 CA$3.84

12.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.63 CA$5.09

-30.85%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.14 CA$4.40

12.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$11.65 CA$16.32

-9.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$10.79 CA$15.13

-2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$16.37 CA$22.95

-14.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.14 CA$5.80

25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.47 CA$2.06

12.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.83 CA$5.37

27.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.48 CA$4.88

10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.70 CA$2.39

130.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.69 CA$3.77

39.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.81 CA$2.54

-38.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.81 CA$2.54

77.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$12.33 CA$17.29

-51.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.23 CA$17.15

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$4.03 CA$5.64

-30.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.74 CA$5.24

-2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.63 CA$3.68

-58.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$63.0 CA$88.4

3.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.67 CA$5.14

-38.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.50 CA$2.11

18.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$32.89 CA$46.11

-75.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.27 CA$1.77

18.11%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$28.2K CA$39.6K

18.59%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.1K CA$29.5K

100.91%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$71.5 CA$100

30.28%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$44.64 CA$62.6

-19.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$48.93 CA$68.6

23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$29.05 CA$40.72

137.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$6.77 CA$9.49

268.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.42 CA$14.61

-26.39%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$885 CA$1,240

9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$30.6K CA$42.8K

-38.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$65.9 CA$92.4

7.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$31.03 CA$43.49

82.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$63.7 CA$89.4

101.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$123 CA$173

6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,030 CA$1,444

13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$772 CA$1,082

22.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,763 CA$2,472

12.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,280 CA$1,795

9.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,190 CA$3,070

22.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$1,797 CA$2,519

13.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$2,820 CA$3,953

-65.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.76

81.09%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sherbrooke: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Sherbrooke

$772 41.9% 18.2% $171

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Sherbrooke

$374 20.3% 7.1% $29

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Sherbrooke

$270 14.7% 16.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Sherbrooke

$165 9% 13.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Sherbrooke

$128 6.9% 26.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Sherbrooke

$50 2.7% 40.8% $34

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Sherbrooke

$85 4.6% 5% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,030 in Sherbrooke. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sherbrooke are about 2.9 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 $67 in Sherbrooke. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $374 in Sherbrooke – so Sherbrooke wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Sherbrooke

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

172,950

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Sherbrooke 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Sherbrooke

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 Sherbrooke: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 14%, 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 $2,766 in Sherbrooke. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sherbrooke, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,030 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $67 in Sherbrooke. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,107 in San Jose and $1,844 in Sherbrooke. That makes Sherbrooke about 13% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $1,844 in Sherbrooke, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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