Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

For one person, living costs are similar in San Jose and in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador: $2,107 and $2,148 a month, rent and utilities included.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,148

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,185 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,185

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,222 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,222

San Jose and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both San Jose and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.69 CA$24.79

-30.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$71.7 CA$101

-13.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$12.16 CA$17.05

-3.70%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$4.08 CA$5.72

11.27%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.64 CA$3.70

4.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$2.19 CA$3.07

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.86 CA$6.82

-31.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.30 CA$7.43

-18.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.78 CA$3.90

-15.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$3.02 CA$4.24

1.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$6.22 CA$8.73

-59.65%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.75 CA$5.25

-5.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$9.53 CA$13.36

10.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$13.20 CA$18.50

-19.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$11.85 CA$16.60

17.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.81 CA$6.75

8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$2.96 CA$4.16

-44.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$4.87 CA$6.82

0.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.04 CA$4.26

26.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.73 CA$3.83

43.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.28 CA$3.19

64.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.89 CA$4.05

-61.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$2.38 CA$3.33

35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.78 CA$19.32

-56.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$16.02 CA$22.46

23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$4.12 CA$5.78

-31.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$4.29 CA$6.01

-14.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.75 CA$2.45

-38.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$54.9 CA$76.9

18.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.24 CA$4.54

-30.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.81 CA$2.53

-1.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$29.40 CA$41.22

-73.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.43 CA$2.00

4.90%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$27.9K CA$39.0K

20.16%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$23.9K CA$33.5K

76.99%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$183 CA$256

-48.97%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$42.03 CA$58.9

-14.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$103 CA$145

-41.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$66.2 CA$92.8

4.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$18.98 CA$26.61

31.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.71 CA$15.01

-28.38%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$526 CA$738

84.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$10.2K CA$14.3K

84.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$66.2 CA$92.8

6.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$50.5 CA$70.8

12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$79.3 CA$111

62.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$96.4 CA$135

35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,015 CA$1,423

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$827 CA$1,160

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,553 CA$2,177

27.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,352 CA$1,895

3.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$2,401 CA$3,365

11.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$1,792 CA$2,512

13.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$2,852 CA$3,998

-65.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.57

88.62%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$827 38.5% 12.3% $116

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$419 19.5% 4% $16

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$281 13.1% 21% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$328 15.3% 72.6% $138

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$132 6.1% 24.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$88 4.1% 4% $3.4

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$74 3.5% 8.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,015 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $419 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

110,525

💱 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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San Jose St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,223 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,015 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Groceries cost about 4% more in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $526 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, 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 $2,107 in San Jose to $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.