Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trois-Rivieres, QC and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Trois-Rivieres, QC: $1,434 a month against $2,107 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Trois-Rivieres, QC, Canada
San Jose, Costa Rica
Trois-Rivieres, QC
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,434
/mo nomad
San Jose
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,434 per month in Trois-Rivieres, QC vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Trois-Rivieres, QC $1,434
  • San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Trois-Rivieres, QC vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Trois-Rivieres, QC $2,432
  • San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,430 per month in Trois-Rivieres, QC vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

  • Trois-Rivieres, QC $3,430
  • San Jose $4,054

Trois-Rivieres, QC is about 32% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Trois-Rivieres, QC and San Jose sit above the global median – Trois-Rivieres, QC by 6%, San Jose by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.71 CA$17.88
$12.37 ₡5,563
2.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.0 CA$81.5
$62.4 ₡28.0K
-7.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.52 CA$14.79
$11.71 ₡5,264
-10.16%
Cappuccino
$3.14 CA$4.41
$4.54 ₡2,040
-30.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 CA$1.93
$2.75 ₡1,238
-50.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 CA$1.01
$1.86 ₡837
-61.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.22 CA$5.93
$3.35 ₡1,505
25.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 CA$5.55
$4.32 ₡1,944
-8.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 CA$1.95
$2.36 ₡1,061
-41.10%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 CA$3.83
$3.07 ₡1,379
-11.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.26 CA$7.39
$2.51 ₡1,128
109.56%
Eggs
$2.88 CA$4.05
$3.53 ₡1,585
-18.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.52 CA$11.99
$10.54 ₡4,738
-19.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.83 CA$13.82
$10.57 ₡4,754
-7.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.83 CA$15.23
$13.92 ₡6,261
-22.20%
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 CA$5.92
$5.20 ₡2,338
-19.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 CA$1.77
$1.65 ₡740
-23.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.81 CA$6.76
$4.89 ₡2,198
-1.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.63 CA$6.51
$3.84 ₡1,728
20.57%
Potato (1kg)
$2.17 CA$3.06
$3.91 ₡1,757
-44.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 CA$2.80
$3.76 ₡1,692
-47.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 CA$3.00
$1.12 ₡504
90.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.78 CA$3.91
$3.22 ₡1,447
-13.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.27 CA$17.26
$6.02 ₡2,706
103.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.38 CA$17.42
$19.84 ₡8,919
-37.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.94 CA$4.14
$2.81 ₡1,264
4.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28 CA$4.61
$3.65 ₡1,643
-10.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.88 CA$4.04
$1.08 ₡487
166.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.5 CA$78.1
$65.2 ₡29.3K
-14.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 CA$4.81
$2.26 ₡1,018
51.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.03 CA$2.86
$1.78 ₡799
14.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.62 CA$45.88
$7.90 ₡3,551
312.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 CA$1.64
$1.50 ₡673
-22.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K CA$40.2K
$33.5K ₡15.1M
-14.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.6K CA$28.9K
$42.3K ₡19.0M
-51.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 CA$88.7
$93.2 ₡41.9K
-32.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.97 CA$50.6
$36.13 ₡16.2K
-0.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.06 CA$60.6
$60.6 ₡27.2K
-28.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.68 CA$34.71
$68.9 ₡31.0K
-64.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.87 CA$15.28
$24.94 ₡11.2K
-56.42%
Cinema Ticket
$10.86 CA$15.27
$7.67 ₡3,449
41.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$742 CA$1,043
$972 ₡436.9K
-23.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$51.8K CA$72.9K
$18.9K ₡8.5M
174.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.77 CA$70.0
$70.6 ₡31.8K
-29.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.26 CA$38.34
$56.7 ₡25.5K
-51.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$59.6 CA$83.8
$129 ₡57.8K
-53.66%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.8 CA$132
$131 ₡58.8K
-28.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$638 CA$898
$1,170 ₡525.9K
-45.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 CA$707
$943 ₡424.1K
-46.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,064 CA$1,496
$1,984 ₡892.0K
-46.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 CA$1,772
$1,400 ₡629.5K
-9.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,292 CA$3,223
$2,681 ₡1.2M
-14.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,297 CA$3,231
$2,037 ₡915.8K
12.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Trois-Rivieres, QC
San Jose
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,609 CA$3,669
$987 ₡443.6K
164.43%
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 Trois-Rivieres, QC: November 2, 2026

Last update for San Jose: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$503
San Jose
$943 87.7% $441
Groceries & Markets
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$350
San Jose
$403 15% $52
Eating Out
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$208
San Jose
$232 11.6% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$142
San Jose
$190 33.7% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$104
San Jose
$174 67.8% $70
Getting Around
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$81
San Jose
$81 0.1% $0.1
Sport & Entertainment
Trois-Rivieres, QC
$46
San Jose
$84 81.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $638 in Trois-Rivieres, QC 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 Trois-Rivieres, QC are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $58 in Trois-Rivieres, QC versus $62 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $403 – making Trois-Rivieres, QC the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Trois-Rivieres, QC
🇨🇷 San Jose
🕒 Local time
18:04 6:04 PM
17:04 5:04 PM
1 h behind Trois-Rivieres, QC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
139,163
342,188 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Trois-Rivieres, QC San Jose 4,190 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Trois-Rivieres, QC
  • 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
Trois-Rivieres, QC vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Trois-Rivieres, QC cheaper than San Jose?
Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,151 per month in Trois-Rivieres, QC and $3,161 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Trois-Rivieres, QC, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $1,170 in San Jose.
Is eating out cheaper in Trois-Rivieres, QC or in San Jose?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Trois-Rivieres, QC and $62 in San Jose. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Trois-Rivieres, QC and in San Jose?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,434 in Trois-Rivieres, QC and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes Trois-Rivieres, QC about 32% cheaper.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Trois-Rivieres, QC or in San Jose?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,434 in Trois-Rivieres, QC and $2,107 in San Jose. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Trois-Rivieres, QC or San Jose more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Trois-Rivieres, QC – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Trois-Rivieres, QC is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Trois-Rivieres, QC vs other spots: cost of living compared

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