Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Vaughan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,478 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vaughan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
Learn more

Vaughan Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,478 in Vaughan, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Vaughan $2,478

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,910 in Vaughan, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Vaughan $3,910

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $5,341 in Vaughan, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Vaughan $5,341

San Jose is about 15% cheaper than Vaughan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and Vaughan sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Vaughan by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$17.36 CA$24.33

-28.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$71.1 CA$99.7

-12.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.04 CA$14.08

16.63%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.75 CA$5.26

21.07%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.23 CA$3.13

23.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.74 CA$2.43

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.55 CA$7.78

-39.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.47 CA$9.06

-33.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.07 CA$2.90

14.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.23 CA$3.12

37.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$2.75 CA$3.86

-8.73%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$3.19 CA$4.46

10.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$9.83 CA$13.78

7.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$12.15 CA$17.03

-13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$14.38 CA$20.15

-3.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.50 CA$4.90

48.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.29 CA$1.81

27.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.31 CA$4.64

47.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.35 CA$4.69

14.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.67 CA$2.34

134.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$1.97 CA$2.76

90.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.26 CA$3.17

-50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.26 CA$1.77

155.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.05 CA$18.29

-53.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$13.48 CA$18.90

47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$2.10 CA$2.94

33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$1.45 CA$2.03

151.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.97 CA$4.16

-63.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$110 CA$154

-40.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$3.03 CA$4.25

-25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.27 CA$1.78

40.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$21.61 CA$30.29

-63.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.15 CA$1.62

30.43%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$28.3K CA$39.7K

18.17%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$19.6K CA$27.5K

115.77%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$110 CA$155

-15.45%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$29.60 CA$41.49

22.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$50.7 CA$71.1

19.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$30.90 CA$43.31

123.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$21.75 CA$30.49

14.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.38 CA$14.55

-26.11%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$659 CA$924

47.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$23.2K CA$32.5K

-18.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$43.51 CA$61.0

62.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$43.16 CA$60.5

31.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$107 CA$150

19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$108 CA$151

21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,794 CA$2,514

-34.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,370 CA$1,920

-31.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$3,453 CA$4,840

-42.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$2,769 CA$3,881

-49.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$7,939 CA$11.1K

-66.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$5,462 CA$7,657

-62.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,072 CA$4,307

-67.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.26

63.88%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vaughan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Vaughan

$1.4K 55.3% 45.2% $427

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Vaughan

$329 13.3% 18.4% $74

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Vaughan

$271 10.9% 16.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Vaughan

$191 7.7% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Vaughan

$136 5.5% 22% $38

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Vaughan

$52 2.1% 38.7% $33

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Vaughan

$131 5.3% 62.5% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,794 in Vaughan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vaughan 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 $71 in Vaughan. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $329 in Vaughan – so Vaughan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

323,103

💱 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 Vaughan 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Vaughan

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 Vaughan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vaughan is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,717 in Vaughan. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,170 there versus $1,794 in Vaughan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $71 in Vaughan. 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 $2,478 in Vaughan. That makes San Jose about 15% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,107 in San Jose to $2,478 in Vaughan. 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, Vaughan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.