Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Thompson: $1,808 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
Learn more

Thompson Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,808

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,808 per month in Thompson vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Thompson $1,808
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,730 per month in Thompson vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Thompson $2,730
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,652 per month in Thompson vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Thompson $3,652
San Jose $3,857

Thompson is about 7% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Thompson and San Jose sit above the global median – Thompson by 35%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.71

$12.22 ₡5,510

42.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 CA$90.0

$60.1 ₡27.1K

5.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.12

$11.77 ₡5,305

-9.69%

Cappuccino

$3.62 CA$5.15

$4.30 ₡1,939

-15.81%

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

$1.96 CA$2.79

$2.72 ₡1,226

-27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$1.84 ₡830

-11.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.58

$3.28 ₡1,480

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.97

$4.36 ₡1,966

28.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CA$3.02

$2.38 ₡1,074

-10.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 CA$3.55

$3.12 ₡1,408

-20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.56

$2.41 ₡1,086

32.78%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.74

$3.47 ₡1,564

-4.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 CA$14.35

$10.57 ₡4,767

-4.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$10.56 ₡4,758

8.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 CA$20.91

$13.75 ₡6,196

6.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.19

$5.04 ₡2,274

-27.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.61 ₡727

-27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.37

$4.59 ₡2,069

-17.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.92

$3.84 ₡1,731

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.42

$3.77 ₡1,700

-36.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$3.76 ₡1,693

-41.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$1.12 ₡506

116.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$3.20 ₡1,441

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.53

$5.84 ₡2,632

135.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 CA$18.02

$19.73 ₡8,897

-35.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$2.75 ₡1,240

-2.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$3.66 ₡1,650

-16.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$1.12 ₡503

96.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 CA$95.5

$65.1 ₡29.4K

3.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 CA$4.07

$2.46 ₡1,110

16.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$1.54 ₡692

-10.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 CA$32.27

$8.46 ₡3,815

168.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.60

$1.55 ₡699

-27.74%

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

$27.8K CA$39.6K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

28.25%

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

$20.4K CA$29.1K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-41.41%

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

$137 CA$195

$94.7 ₡42.7K

44.76%

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

$37.96 CA$54.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

8.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 CA$75.4

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-9.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 CA$58.4

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-43.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 CA$22.28

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-37.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 CA$15.59

$7.83 ₡3,532

39.97%

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

$641 CA$911

$971 ₡437.9K

-34.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K CA$19.6K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-18.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.0

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-25.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.21 CA$54.4

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 CA$120

$129 ₡58.2K

-34.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$145

$133 ₡60.0K

-23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 CA$956

$934 ₡420.9K

-28.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$958

$770 ₡347.2K

-12.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 CA$1,551

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-43.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 CA$1,587

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-15.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,094 CA$5,823

$2,277 ₡1.0M

79.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,002 CA$5,693

$1,795 ₡809.1K

123.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,531 CA$2,178

$1,006 ₡453.5K

52.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

8.62

-46.17%

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

Last update for Thompson: 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

Thompson

$674 37.6%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 14.3% $97

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$350 19.6%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 13.8% $48

Eating Out

Thompson

$266 14.9%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 14.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$228 12.7%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 17.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$125 7%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 39.8% $50

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 7% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$63 3.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 39.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Thompson 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 52% higher in Thompson, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Thompson versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Thompson vs $399 in San Jose – so Thompson wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

1 h behind Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thompson San Jose 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,712 per month in Thompson 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 Thompson, 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 $63.0 in Thompson 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 $1,808 in Thompson and $1,949 in San Jose. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thompson, where all-in costs run around $1,808, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Thompson it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thompson – 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 Thompson. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.