Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and St. Thomas, Canada

Name: St. Thomas
Address: St. Thomas, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,308 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in St. Thomas outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,308

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in St. Thomas

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,308 in St. Thomas, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
St. Thomas $2,308

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,326 in St. Thomas, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
St. Thomas $3,326

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $4,344 in St. Thomas, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
St. Thomas $4,344

San Jose is about 9% cheaper than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Jose and St. Thomas sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, St. Thomas by 71%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$21.55 CA$30.21

-42.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$63.4 CA$88.8

-1.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$11.33 CA$15.88

3.35%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.33 CA$4.67

36.34%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.20 CA$3.08

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.56 CA$2.18

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.91 CA$6.89

-31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.01 CA$8.42

-28.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.23 CA$3.12

5.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.72 CA$3.81

12.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.74 CA$5.24

-32.89%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.22 CA$4.51

9.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$9.95 CA$13.94

5.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$16.27 CA$22.81

-35.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$19.23 CA$26.95

-27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$4.09 CA$5.73

27.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.31 CA$1.84

25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.69 CA$5.17

32.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$4.01 CA$5.62

-4.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$3.32 CA$4.65

17.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$3.11 CA$4.37

20.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.86 CA$4.01

-60.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.51 CA$2.12

113.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$11.13 CA$15.60

-45.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.88 CA$18.05

54.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.46 CA$3.45

14.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.90 CA$4.06

25.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.34 CA$3.28

-53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$63.2 CA$88.6

3.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.42 CA$3.40

-6.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.65 CA$2.32

7.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$22.53 CA$31.59

-64.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.18 CA$1.66

27.12%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$26.9K CA$37.7K

24.33%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$23.1K CA$32.4K

82.84%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$125 CA$175

-25.20%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$43.40 CA$60.8

-16.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$56.6 CA$79.3

7.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$37.39 CA$52.4

84.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$17.91 CA$25.11

39.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.51 CA$14.73

-27.02%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$411 CA$576

136.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$17.3K CA$24.3K

9.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$52.9 CA$74.1

33.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$36.92 CA$51.8

53.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$82.5 CA$116

55.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$90.6 CA$127

44.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,180 CA$1,654

-0.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,127 CA$1,579

-16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$2,036 CA$2,854

-2.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,659 CA$2,325

-15.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$4,398 CA$6,165

-39.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$3,626 CA$5,083

-43.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,021 CA$4,234

-67.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.99

72.75%

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. Thomas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

St. Thomas

$1.1K 48.8% 19.5% $184

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

St. Thomas

$399 17.3% 1% $3.8

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

St. Thomas

$298 12.9% 28.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

St. Thomas

$225 9.7% 18.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

St. Thomas

$118 5.1% 32% $56

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

St. Thomas

$58 2.5% 30.7% $26

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

St. Thomas

$83 3.6% 3.1% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,180 in St. Thomas. 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. Thomas are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose versus $63 in St. Thomas. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $399 in St. Thomas – so St. Thomas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

38,909

💱 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 St. Thomas 3,660 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
St. Thomas

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. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Thomas is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,462 in St. Thomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,170 in San Jose and $1,180 in St. Thomas. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 3% less in St. Thomas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $411 in St. Thomas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,308 in St. Thomas. 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. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.