Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Windsor, Canada

Name: Windsor
Address: Windsor, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,240 in Windsor, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Windsor outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Windsor
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Windsor Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Windsor

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,107 per month in San Jose vs $2,240 in Windsor, rent included.

San Jose $2,107
Windsor $2,240

A couple spends around $3,081 per month in San Jose vs $3,057 in Windsor, rent included.

San Jose $3,081
Windsor $3,057

A family of three spends $4,054 per month in San Jose vs $3,873 in Windsor, rent included.

San Jose $4,054
Windsor $3,873

San Jose is about 6% cheaper than Windsor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Jose and Windsor sit above the global median – San Jose by 56%, Windsor by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.37 ₡5,563

$14.17 CA$19.86

-12.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$64.0 CA$89.7

-2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,264

$10.62 CA$14.88

10.26%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,040

$3.51 CA$4.92

29.34%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.57 CA$3.60

7.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.83 CA$2.56

1.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,505

$5.10 CA$7.16

-34.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$6.05 CA$8.47

-28.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,061

$1.83 CA$2.57

28.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₡1,379

$2.05 CA$2.87

49.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,128

$3.06 CA$4.28

-17.97%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,585

$2.85 CA$4.00

23.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 ₡4,738

$10.04 CA$14.07

4.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,754

$10.17 CA$14.25

3.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,261

$14.06 CA$19.71

-1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,338

$3.83 CA$5.37

35.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡740

$0.99 CA$1.39

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,198

$3.04 CA$4.26

60.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,728

$3.67 CA$5.14

4.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.97 CA$2.77

98.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,692

$2.13 CA$2.98

76.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.19 CA$3.07

-48.86%

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

$12.82 CA$17.96

-53.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.84 ₡8,919

$11.75 CA$16.47

68.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.93 CA$2.71

45.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,643

$3.33 CA$4.67

9.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡487

$2.81 CA$3.94

-61.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$89.9 CA$126

-27.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₡1,018

$2.40 CA$3.37

-5.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.03 CA$1.45

72.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ₡3,551

$14.27 CA$20.00

-44.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$1.22 CA$1.71

22.95%

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

$33.5K ₡15.1M

$26.9K CA$37.8K

24.21%

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

$42.3K ₡19.0M

$21.8K CA$30.6K

93.98%

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

$93.2 ₡41.9K

$185 CA$259

-49.58%

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

$36.13 ₡16.2K

$38.06 CA$53.4

-5.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$56.6 CA$79.3

7.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 ₡31.0K

$34.23 CA$47.98

101.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.94 ₡11.2K

$28.28 CA$39.64

-11.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,449

$10.56 CA$14.80

-27.37%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

$504 CA$706

92.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ₡8.5M

$4,753 CA$6,662

297.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 ₡31.8K

$44.70 CA$62.7

57.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₡25.5K

$33.57 CA$47.06

68.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.8K

$80.5 CA$113

59.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$80.6 CA$113

62.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₡525.9K

$1,269 CA$1,778

-7.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$943 ₡424.1K

$1,132 CA$1,586

-16.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₡892.0K

$1,759 CA$2,465

12.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 ₡629.5K

$1,427 CA$2,000

-1.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₡1.2M

$3,215 CA$4,507

-16.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 ₡915.8K

$2,895 CA$4,058

-29.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$987 ₡443.6K

$3,049 CA$4,274

-67.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.71

83.01%

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

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Last update for Windsor: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$943 44.8%

Windsor

$1.1K 50.5% 20% $188

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 19.1%

Windsor

$315 14.1% 21.8% $88

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Windsor

$242 10.8% 4.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$190 9%

Windsor

$279 12.5% 47.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Windsor

$108 4.8% 38.1% $66

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$84 4%

Windsor

$55 2.5% 34.3% $29

Getting Around

San Jose

$81 3.8%

Windsor

$109 4.9% 34.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in San Jose versus $1,269 in Windsor. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Windsor 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 $64 in Windsor. Groceries tell a different story – $403 in San Jose vs $315 in Windsor – so Windsor wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇨🇦 Windsor

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

217,188

💱 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 Windsor 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Windsor

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 Windsor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Windsor is pricier by about 6%, 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 $3,361 in Windsor. 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 $1,269 in Windsor. 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 $64 in Windsor. 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 $2,240 in Windsor. That makes San Jose about 6% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,107 in San Jose and $2,240 in Windsor, 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 $2,240 in Windsor. 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, Windsor makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.