Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and in San Jose: $2,148 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

103

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,148

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and in San Jose actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,148 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,148
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,185 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,185
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $4,222 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,222
San Jose $4,054

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and San Jose have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and San Jose sit above the global median – St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador by 59%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.79

$12.37 ₡5,563

43.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.7 CA$101

$62.4 ₡28.0K

14.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 CA$17.05

$11.71 ₡5,264

3.84%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.72

$4.54 ₡2,040

-10.13%

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

$2.64 CA$3.70

$2.75 ₡1,238

-4.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 CA$3.07

$1.86 ₡837

17.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.82

$3.35 ₡1,505

45.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 CA$7.43

$4.32 ₡1,944

22.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CA$3.90

$2.36 ₡1,061

17.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$3.07 ₡1,379

-1.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.22 CA$8.73

$2.51 ₡1,128

147.81%

Eggs

$3.75 CA$5.25

$3.53 ₡1,585

6.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 CA$13.36

$10.54 ₡4,738

-9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.20 CA$18.50

$10.57 ₡4,754

24.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 CA$16.60

$13.92 ₡6,261

-14.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 CA$6.75

$5.20 ₡2,338

-7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 CA$4.16

$1.65 ₡740

79.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.87 CA$6.82

$4.89 ₡2,198

-0.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.26

$3.84 ₡1,728

-20.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.83

$3.91 ₡1,757

-30.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.19

$3.76 ₡1,692

-39.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 CA$4.05

$1.12 ₡504

158.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.33

$3.22 ₡1,447

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 CA$19.32

$6.02 ₡2,706

128.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.02 CA$22.46

$19.84 ₡8,919

-19.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.12 CA$5.78

$2.81 ₡1,264

46.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 CA$6.01

$3.65 ₡1,643

17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 CA$2.45

$1.08 ₡487

62.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 CA$76.9

$65.2 ₡29.3K

-15.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 CA$4.54

$2.26 ₡1,018

43.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 CA$2.53

$1.78 ₡799

1.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.40 CA$41.22

$7.90 ₡3,551

272.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 CA$2.00

$1.50 ₡673

-4.67%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-16.78%

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

$23.9K CA$33.5K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-43.50%

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

$183 CA$256

$93.2 ₡41.9K

95.98%

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

$42.03 CA$58.9

$36.13 ₡16.2K

16.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 CA$145

$60.6 ₡27.2K

70.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 CA$92.8

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-3.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 CA$26.61

$24.94 ₡11.2K

-23.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.71 CA$15.01

$7.67 ₡3,449

39.63%

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

$526 CA$738

$972 ₡436.9K

-45.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K CA$14.3K

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-45.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 CA$92.8

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 CA$70.8

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-10.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 CA$111

$129 ₡57.8K

-38.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 CA$135

$131 ₡58.8K

-26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 CA$1,423

$1,170 ₡525.9K

-13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 CA$1,160

$943 ₡424.1K

-12.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 CA$2,177

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-21.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 CA$1,895

$1,400 ₡629.5K

-3.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 CA$3,365

$2,681 ₡1.2M

-10.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,792 CA$2,512

$2,037 ₡915.8K

-12.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,852 CA$3,998

$987 ₡443.6K

189.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

8.62

-46.98%

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

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$827 38.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 14% $116

Groceries & Markets

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$419 19.5%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 3.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$328 15.3%

San Jose

$190 9% 42.1% $138

Eating Out

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$281 13.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 17.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$132 6.1%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 32.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$88 4.1%

San Jose

$84 4% 3.9% $3.4

Getting Around

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$74 3.5%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 8.8% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $419 vs $403 – making San Jose the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

21:02 9:02 PM

2 h 30 min behind St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,525

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 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

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Between locations

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador San Jose 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,223 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,015 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.

Groceries cost about 4% more in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and $972 in San Jose. 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 $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $2,107 in San Jose to $2,148 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.