Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $2,236 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Surrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

110

Cost of Living Index in Surrey
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Surrey Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Surrey

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,236

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,236 per month in Surrey vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Surrey $2,236
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $3,522 per month in Surrey vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Surrey $3,522
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $4,808 per month in Surrey vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Surrey $4,808
San Jose $3,857

Surrey costs about 15% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Surrey and San Jose sit above the global median – Surrey by 67%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.87 CA$25.48

$12.22 ₡5,510

46.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 CA$78.7

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-8.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 CA$14.62

$11.77 ₡5,305

-12.83%

Cappuccino

$3.63 CA$5.18

$4.30 ₡1,939

-15.58%

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

$2.11 CA$3.00

$2.72 ₡1,226

-22.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.23

$1.84 ₡830

-14.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.65 CA$8.05

$3.28 ₡1,480

72.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 CA$8.48

$4.36 ₡1,966

36.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.42

$2.38 ₡1,074

0.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 CA$2.91

$3.12 ₡1,408

-34.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.09

$2.41 ₡1,086

48.13%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.61

$3.47 ₡1,564

-6.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 CA$13.73

$10.57 ₡4,767

-8.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.66

$10.56 ₡4,758

-2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.56 CA$27.89

$13.75 ₡6,196

42.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.48

$5.04 ₡2,274

-37.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.61 ₡727

-18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.20

$4.59 ₡2,069

-35.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 CA$4.20

$3.84 ₡1,731

-23.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$3.77 ₡1,700

-32.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$3.76 ₡1,693

-45.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 CA$2.82

$1.12 ₡506

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.56

$3.20 ₡1,441

-43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.86

$5.84 ₡2,632

138.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CA$20.12

$19.73 ₡8,897

-28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.51

$2.75 ₡1,240

-10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CA$4.35

$3.66 ₡1,650

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 CA$3.81

$1.12 ₡503

138.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 CA$150

$65.1 ₡29.4K

62.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.66

$2.46 ₡1,110

4.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.13

$1.54 ₡692

-3.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.20 CA$38.77

$8.46 ₡3,815

221.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.55 ₡699

-15.48%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

28.10%

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

$18.5K CA$26.3K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-47.06%

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

$185 CA$263

$94.7 ₡42.7K

95.11%

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

$36.28 CA$51.7

$35.11 ₡15.8K

3.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$58.6 ₡26.4K

7.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.52 CA$49.21

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-52.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.21 CA$35.93

$25.19 ₡11.4K

0.08%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 CA$18.10

$7.83 ₡3,532

62.20%

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

$832 CA$1,186

$971 ₡437.9K

-14.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K CA$17.0K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-29.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 CA$78.7

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-22.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.3 CA$85.9

$54.9 ₡24.7K

9.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 CA$137

$129 ₡58.2K

-25.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 CA$126

$133 ₡60.0K

-33.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 CA$1,891

$934 ₡420.9K

42.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 CA$1,497

$770 ₡347.2K

36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 CA$3,815

$1,945 ₡876.7K

37.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 CA$2,972

$1,316 ₡593.5K

58.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,553 CA$13.6K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

319.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,388 CA$12.0K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

367.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,988 CA$4,260

$1,006 ₡453.5K

197.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

8.62

-43.50%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surrey

$1.1K 46.1%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 26.7% $280

Groceries & Markets

Surrey

$348 15.3%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 14.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surrey

$284 12.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 33.7% $96

Eating Out

Surrey

$272 12%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 16.2% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Surrey

$135 5.9%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 29.5% $40

Getting Around

Surrey

$126 5.6%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 36.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Surrey

$60 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 46.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,327 in Surrey versus $934 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 run about 197% higher in Surrey, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Surrey versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $399 – making Surrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Surrey

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h ahead of Surrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

517,887

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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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Highest

Between locations

Surrey San Jose 5,650 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surrey
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

Surrey vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surrey is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,353 per month in Surrey and $2,924 in San Jose. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Surrey and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,236 in Surrey and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 15%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Surrey at $2,236. In San Jose it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Jose. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surrey makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.