Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windsor, Canada and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $2,107 a month against $2,240 in Windsor, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Windsor outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Windsor
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Windsor Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Windsor

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,240

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,240 per month in Windsor vs $2,107 in San Jose, rent included.

Windsor $2,240
San Jose $2,107

A couple spends around $3,057 per month in Windsor vs $3,081 in San Jose, rent included.

Windsor $3,057
San Jose $3,081

A family of three spends $3,873 per month in Windsor vs $4,054 in San Jose, rent included.

Windsor $3,873
San Jose $4,054

Windsor costs about 6% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Windsor and San Jose sit above the global median – Windsor by 66%, San Jose by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.17 CA$19.86

$12.37 ₡5,563

14.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 CA$89.7

$62.4 ₡28.0K

2.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 CA$14.88

$11.71 ₡5,264

-9.31%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.92

$4.54 ₡2,040

-22.69%

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

$2.57 CA$3.60

$2.75 ₡1,238

-6.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$1.86 ₡837

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 CA$7.16

$3.35 ₡1,505

52.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 CA$8.47

$4.32 ₡1,944

40.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 CA$2.57

$2.36 ₡1,061

-22.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 CA$2.87

$3.07 ₡1,379

-33.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.28

$2.51 ₡1,128

21.91%

Eggs

$2.85 CA$4.00

$3.53 ₡1,585

-19.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.07

$10.54 ₡4,738

-4.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 CA$14.25

$10.57 ₡4,754

-3.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 CA$19.71

$13.92 ₡6,261

1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 CA$5.37

$5.20 ₡2,338

-26.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 CA$1.39

$1.65 ₡740

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.26

$4.89 ₡2,198

-37.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.14

$3.84 ₡1,728

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.77

$3.91 ₡1,757

-49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CA$2.98

$3.76 ₡1,692

-43.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 CA$3.07

$1.12 ₡504

95.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 CA$1.77

$3.22 ₡1,447

-60.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.82 CA$17.96

$6.02 ₡2,706

112.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.75 CA$16.47

$19.84 ₡8,919

-40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 CA$2.71

$2.81 ₡1,264

-31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 CA$4.67

$3.65 ₡1,643

-8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 CA$3.94

$1.08 ₡487

160.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 CA$126

$65.2 ₡29.3K

37.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 CA$3.37

$2.26 ₡1,018

6.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 CA$1.45

$1.78 ₡799

-42.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.27 CA$20.00

$7.90 ₡3,551

80.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.50 ₡673

-18.67%

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

$26.9K CA$37.8K

$33.5K ₡15.1M

-19.49%

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

$21.8K CA$30.6K

$42.3K ₡19.0M

-48.45%

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

$185 CA$259

$93.2 ₡41.9K

98.34%

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

$38.06 CA$53.4

$36.13 ₡16.2K

5.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CA$79.3

$60.6 ₡27.2K

-6.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 CA$47.98

$68.9 ₡31.0K

-50.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.28 CA$39.64

$24.94 ₡11.2K

13.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.80

$7.67 ₡3,449

37.68%

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

$504 CA$706

$972 ₡436.9K

-48.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,753 CA$6,662

$18.9K ₡8.5M

-74.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.70 CA$62.7

$70.6 ₡31.8K

-36.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.57 CA$47.06

$56.7 ₡25.5K

-40.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 CA$113

$129 ₡57.8K

-37.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.6 CA$113

$131 ₡58.8K

-38.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 CA$1,778

$1,170 ₡525.9K

8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 CA$1,586

$943 ₡424.1K

19.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CA$2,465

$1,984 ₡892.0K

-11.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 CA$2,000

$1,400 ₡629.5K

1.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,215 CA$4,507

$2,681 ₡1.2M

19.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,895 CA$4,058

$2,037 ₡915.8K

42.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,274

$987 ₡443.6K

209.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.71

8.62

-45.36%

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

Last update for Windsor: 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

Windsor

$1.1K 50.5%

San Jose

$943 44.8% 16.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Windsor

$315 14.1%

San Jose

$403 19.1% 27.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windsor

$279 12.5%

San Jose

$190 9% 32% $90

Eating Out

Windsor

$242 10.8%

San Jose

$232 11% 4.2% $10

Getting Around

Windsor

$109 4.9%

San Jose

$81 3.8% 25.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Windsor

$108 4.8%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 61.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Windsor

$55 2.5%

San Jose

$84 4% 52.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,269 in Windsor 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 Windsor are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Windsor versus $62 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $315 in Windsor vs $403 in San Jose – so Windsor wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Windsor

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

00:45 12:45 AM

1 h behind Windsor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,188

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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Highest

Between locations

Windsor San Jose 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Windsor
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

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

Yes – Windsor is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,361 per month in Windsor 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 $1,269 in Windsor and $1,170 in San Jose. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Windsor and $62 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 $2,240 in Windsor and $2,107 in San Jose. That makes San Jose about 6% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,240 in Windsor 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 $2,240 in Windsor. 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, Windsor makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.