Cost of living comparison

 San Jose, Costa Rica
compared to
 Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary

Vancouver is 43.6% more expensive than San Jose.

Restaurants
pay 24.0% more in Vancouver
Groceries
pay 18.4% more in Vancouver
Transportation
pay 29.5% more in Vancouver
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Vancouver
Childcare
pay 67.7% more in Vancouver
Entertainment and Sports
pay 61.3% more in Vancouver
Clothing
pay 13.2% less in Vancouver

The cost of housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, restaurants, and groceries in Vancouver are more expensive than in San Jose. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Vancouver.

Vancouver vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Vancouver instead of San Jose, you would:

pay 24.0% more for restaurants

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.83
CRC5,499.19
$17.96
CA$24.68
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.72
CRC4,934.00
$10.78
CA$14.81
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.99
CRC1,012.34
$1.94
CA$2.67

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pay 18.4% more for groceries

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Bread
1 loaf
$2.60
CRC1,318.45
$2.90
CA$3.98
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.26
CRC2,165.48
$6.55
CA$9.00
Milk (1 gallon) $7.23
CRC3,672.41
$6.81
CA$9.36

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pay 29.5% more for transportation

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.49
CRC2,786.51
$5.12
CA$7.04
Monthly public transit pass $38.02
CRC19,306.95
$100.59
CA$138.21
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $36,925.49
CRC18,749,195.70
$24,412.64
CA$33,544.19

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$53.59
CRC27,213.08
$57.25
CA$78.66
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $742.08
CRC376,796.37
$2,033.97
CA$2,794.77
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $463.60
CRC235,397.07
$1,688.88
CA$2,320.60

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pay 67.7% more for childcare

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $521.49
CRC264,791.27
$1,092.52
CA$1,501.17
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,425.72
CRC6,309,251.58
$15,627.02
CA$21,472.31

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pay 61.3% more for entertainment and sports

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.92
CRC1,480.20
$6.47
CA$8.89
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.69
CRC1,874.29
$4.19
CA$5.76
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.05
CRC2,565.68
$14.37
CA$19.74

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pay 13.2% less for clothing

 
San Jose
Vancouver
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$73.59
CRC37,363.93
$66.41
CA$91.25
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$50.81
CRC25,800.37
$38.77
CA$53.27
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$125.98
CRC63,969.11
$95.07
CA$130.63

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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See the cost of living in Costa Rica vs. Canada. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Costa Rica and Canada.

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