Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sault Ste. Marie and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Sault Ste. Marie and in San Jose: $2,095 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Sault Ste. Marie
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Sault Ste. Marie Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,095

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sault Ste. Marie and in San Jose

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sault Ste. Marie and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,095 per month in Sault Ste. Marie vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Sault Ste. Marie $2,095
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,017 per month in Sault Ste. Marie vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,017
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,939 per month in Sault Ste. Marie vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Sault Ste. Marie $3,939
San Jose $4,054

Sault Ste. Marie and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sault Ste. Marie and San Jose sit above the global median – Sault Ste. Marie by 55%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 CA$23.89

$12.37 ₡5,563

37.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.8 CA$102

$62.4 ₡28.0K

16.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 CA$14.90

$11.71 ₡5,264

-9.56%

Cappuccino

$3.65 CA$5.13

$4.54 ₡2,040

-19.60%

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

$1.81 CA$2.54

$2.75 ₡1,238

-34.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 CA$1.68

$1.86 ₡837

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 CA$6.45

$3.35 ₡1,505

37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 CA$7.11

$4.32 ₡1,944

17.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 CA$3.38

$2.36 ₡1,061

2.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 CA$2.99

$3.07 ₡1,379

-30.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.51

$2.51 ₡1,128

27.49%

Eggs

$2.97 CA$4.18

$3.53 ₡1,585

-15.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 CA$12.17

$10.54 ₡4,738

-17.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 CA$13.92

$10.57 ₡4,754

-6.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 CA$16.27

$13.92 ₡6,261

-16.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.05

$5.20 ₡2,338

-44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 CA$1.37

$1.65 ₡740

-41.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.19

$4.89 ₡2,198

-39.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.22

$3.84 ₡1,728

-3.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$3.91 ₡1,757

-48.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 CA$2.27

$3.76 ₡1,692

-56.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$1.12 ₡504

159.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$3.22 ₡1,447

-62.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.63 CA$21.97

$6.02 ₡2,706

159.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$14.88

$19.84 ₡8,919

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CA$2.58

$2.81 ₡1,264

-34.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 CA$3.36

$3.65 ₡1,643

-34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.60

$1.08 ₡487

137.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.7 CA$81.2

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-11.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 CA$5.15

$2.26 ₡1,018

61.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 CA$3.41

$1.78 ₡799

36.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.16 CA$32.58

$7.90 ₡3,551

193.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.53

$1.50 ₡673

-27.33%

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

$26.7K CA$37.6K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-20.23%

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

$20.4K CA$28.7K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-51.80%

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

$181 CA$255

$93.2 ₡41.9K

94.73%

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

$45.21 CA$63.6

$36.13 ₡16.2K

25.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 CA$109

$60.6 ₡27.2K

28.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.08 CA$43.71

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-54.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.21 CA$25.61

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-26.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 CA$16.27

$7.67 ₡3,449

50.85%

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

$972 ₡436.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,992 CA$7,021

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-73.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.95 CA$64.6

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-34.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 CA$50.7

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-36.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 CA$106

$129 ₡57.8K

-41.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 CA$165

$131 ₡58.8K

-10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 CA$1,494

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$971 CA$1,365

$943 ₡424.1K

2.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,545 CA$2,173

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-22.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 CA$2,028

$1,400 ₡629.5K

2.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 CA$4,806

$2,681 ₡1.2M

27.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,362 CA$4,728

$2,037 ₡915.8K

65.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,058 CA$4,300

$987 ₡443.6K

209.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

8.62

-35.85%

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

Last update for Sault Ste. Marie: November 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sault Ste. Marie

$971 46.3%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 2.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sault Ste. Marie

$304 14.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 37.6% $114

Groceries & Markets

Sault Ste. Marie

$302 14.4%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 33.5% $101

Eating Out

Sault Ste. Marie

$257 12.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 9.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sault Ste. Marie

$124 5.9%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 40.9% $51

Getting Around

Sault Ste. Marie

$84 4%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 3.6% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sault Ste. Marie

$54 2.6%

San Jose

$84 4% 55.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,062 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $1,170 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sault Ste. Marie are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Sault Ste. Marie versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $302 in Sault Ste. Marie vs $403 in San Jose – so Sault Ste. Marie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sault Ste. Marie

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

1 h behind Sault Ste. Marie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,368

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sault Ste. Marie San Jose 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sault Ste. Marie
San Jose

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

Sault Ste. Marie vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,142 per month in Sault Ste. Marie and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,062 in Sault Ste. Marie and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Sault Ste. Marie. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Sault Ste. Marie and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,095 in Sault Ste. Marie and $2,107 in San Jose, 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 $2,095 in Sault Ste. Marie to $2,107 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.