Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Welland

For one person, living costs are similar in San Jose and in Welland: $2,107 and $2,111 a month, rent and utilities included.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Welland
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Welland Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Welland

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,111 in Welland, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Welland $2,111

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $2,991 in Welland, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Welland $2,991

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,872 in Welland, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Welland $3,872

San Jose and Welland have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.44 CA$20.24

-14.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$56.4 CA$79.0

10.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$9.12 CA$12.78

28.40%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.13 CA$4.39

45.05%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.18 CA$3.06

26.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.68 CA$2.36

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$4.70 CA$6.58

-28.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$5.57 CA$7.81

-22.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$2.17 CA$3.05

8.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.66 CA$3.72

15.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.35 CA$4.70

-25.07%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$4.30 CA$6.03

-17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.69 CA$14.99

-1.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$11.35 CA$15.91

-6.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$14.06 CA$19.70

-1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.31 CA$4.64

57.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$1.46 CA$2.05

13.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.28 CA$4.60

49.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.01 CA$4.22

27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$2.28 CA$3.20

71.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.64 CA$3.70

42.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.74 CA$3.84

-59.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$1.30 CA$1.82

147.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 ₡2,706

$13.73 CA$19.25

-56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$12.81 CA$17.95

54.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$3.06 CA$4.29

-8.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$2.52 CA$3.54

44.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.75 CA$3.86

-17.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.35 CA$1.89

31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$21.39 CA$29.98

-63.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.16 CA$1.62

29.31%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$26.4K CA$37.0K

26.75%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.5K CA$30.1K

97.11%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$179 CA$251

-47.99%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$33.95 CA$47.58

6.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$48.85 CA$68.5

24.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$31.00 CA$43.45

122.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$43.63 CA$61.2

-42.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$11.16 CA$15.64

-31.27%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$513 CA$719

89.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$20.5K CA$28.7K

-7.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$70.9 CA$99.3

-0.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$52.5 CA$73.6

7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$108 CA$151

19.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$93.4 CA$131

40.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,103 CA$1,546

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,061 CA$1,488

-11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,877 CA$2,630

5.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,540 CA$2,159

-9.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,036 CA$4,256

-67.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.71

50.96%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Welland: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Welland

$1.1K 50.3% 12.5% $118

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Welland

$348 16.5% 13.6% $55

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Welland

$231 10.9% 0.8% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Welland

$262 12.4% 37.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Welland

$146 6.9% 16.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Welland

$53 2.5% 36.7% $31

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Welland

$9.5 * 0.5% 88.2% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,103 in Welland. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Welland 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 $56 in Welland. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $403 vs $348 – making Welland the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Welland

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

52,293

💱 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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Between locations

San Jose Welland 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Welland

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 Welland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,161 per month in San Jose and $3,166 in Welland. 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 $1,103 in Welland. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in San Jose and $56 in Welland. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $972 per month in San Jose and $513 in Welland. 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 $2,111 in Welland, 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 $2,111 in Welland. 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, Welland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.