Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Jose vs. Vancouver Cost of Living Summary
San Jose is 13.6% cheaper than Vancouver.
San Jose vs. Vancouver Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Jose instead of Vancouver, you would:
pay 14.2% less for restaurants
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $17.93 CA$25.45 | $9.95 CRC4,522.80 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.76 CA$15.27 | $9.91 CRC4,501.30 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.10 CA$2.99 | $2.06 CRC934.22 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.71 CA$2.43 | $1.67 CRC760.31 | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.2% less for groceries
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.97 CA$4.21 | $2.64 CRC1,198.47 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.29 CA$8.93 | $4.95 CRC2,250.65 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.93 CA$11.25 | $7.78 CRC3,536.31 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.07 CA$5.77 | $2.88 CRC1,306.86 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $6.40 CA$9.08 | $3.97 CRC1,801.85 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.82 CA$2.58 | $1.94 CRC880.87 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 CA$0.92 | $0.65 CRC296.98 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.90 CA$2.69 | $1.95 CRC884.76 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.06 CA$2.92 | $1.58 CRC718.70 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.41 CA$2.00 | $1.55 CRC702.86 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.37 CA$1.94 | $1.43 CRC650.30 | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of groceries
pay 5.5% more for transportation
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.70 CA$6.67 | $5.39 CRC2,448.50 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $87.86 CA$124.71 | $41.21 CRC18,725.41 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $24,369.83 CA$34,591.75 | $37,640.45 CRC17M | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $15.23 CA$21.62 | $16.12 CRC7,323.61 | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of transportation
pay 25.1% less for housing
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $57.51 CA$81.64 | $58.88 CRC26,754.60 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,931.10 CA$2,741.09 | $891.63 CRC405K | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,574.05 CA$2,234.29 | $560.77 CRC255K | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $59.58 CA$84.57 | $68.88 CRC31,301.43 | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of housing
pay 42.4% less for childcare
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,164.74 CA$1,653.29 | $600.27 CRC273K | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $19,795.38 CA$28,098.55 | $12,608.22 CRC6M | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of childcare
pay 20.6% less for entertainment and sports
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.74 CA$8.14 | $2.67 CRC1,215.35 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.92 CA$5.56 | $3.85 CRC1,751.04 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $15.06 CA$21.38 | $5.15 CRC2,340.68 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $42.54 CA$60.38 | $55.98 CRC25,440.34 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.48 CA$16.29 | $9.91 CRC4,501.30 | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.0% more for clothing
Vancouver | San Jose | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $61.34 CA$87.06 | $61.74 CRC28,058.10 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $42.77 CA$60.71 | $51.32 CRC23,321.21 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $93.01 CA$132.02 | $120.28 CRC54,658.64 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $113.94 CA$161.73 | $106.98 CRC48,614.04 | |
Vancouver vs. San Jose - Cost of clothing
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 2026
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