Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Surrey

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,236 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $2,236 in Surrey, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
Surrey $2,236

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $3,522 in Surrey, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
Surrey $3,522

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $4,808 in Surrey, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
Surrey $4,808

San Jose is about 13% cheaper than Surrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Jose and Surrey sit above the global median – San Jose by 45%, Surrey by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$17.87 CA$25.48

-31.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$55.2 CA$78.7

8.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$10.26 CA$14.62

14.72%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.63 CA$5.18

18.46%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$2.11 CA$3.00

28.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.57 CA$2.23

17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$5.65 CA$8.05

-41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$5.95 CA$8.48

-26.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$2.40 CA$3.42

-0.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.04 CA$2.91

52.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$3.57 CA$5.09

-32.49%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.23 CA$4.61

7.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$9.63 CA$13.73

9.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$10.29 CA$14.66

2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$19.56 CA$27.89

-29.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$3.14 CA$4.48

60.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.31 CA$1.86

22.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$2.94 CA$4.20

56.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$2.95 CA$4.20

30.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$2.54 CA$3.62

48.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$2.05 CA$2.92

83.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.98 CA$2.82

-43.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.80 CA$2.56

77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$13.93 CA$19.86

-58.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$14.12 CA$20.12

39.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.46 CA$3.51

11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.05 CA$4.35

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.67 CA$3.81

-58.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$106 CA$150

-38.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.57 CA$3.66

-4.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.49 CA$2.13

3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$27.20 CA$38.77

-68.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.31 CA$1.86

18.32%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$27.8K CA$39.6K

-21.94%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$18.5K CA$26.3K

88.89%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$185 CA$263

-48.75%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$36.28 CA$51.7

-3.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$63.2 CA$90.1

-7.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$34.52 CA$49.21

109.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$25.21 CA$35.93

-0.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$12.70 CA$18.10

-38.35%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$832 CA$1,186

16.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$11.9K CA$17.0K

42.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$55.2 CA$78.7

29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$60.3 CA$85.9

-8.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$96.4 CA$137

33.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$88.2 CA$126

51.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$1,327 CA$1,891

-29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$1,050 CA$1,497

-26.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$2,676 CA$3,815

-27.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$2,085 CA$2,972

-36.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$9,553 CA$13.6K

-76.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$8,388 CA$12.0K

-78.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$2,988 CA$4,260

-66.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.87

77.00%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1% 36.3% $280

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Surrey

$348 15.3% 12.7% $51

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Surrey

$272 12% 19.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Surrey

$284 12.5% 50.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Surrey

$135 5.9% 22.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Surrey

$60 2.6% 31.8% $28

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Surrey

$126 5.6% 58.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $1,327 in Surrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 197% higher in Surrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $55.0 in Surrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $348 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Surrey

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

05:11 5:11 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

517,887

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Surrey 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Surrey

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 Surrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $3,353 in Surrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose and $55.0 in Surrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,949 in San Jose and $2,236 in Surrey. That's a gap of about 15%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Surrey at $2,236. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.