Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cayman Islands and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose: $1,949 a month against $4,723 in the Cayman Islands, rent and utilities included – about $33,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

231

Cost of Living Index in the Cayman Islands
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Cayman Islands Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,723

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Cayman Islands is 81.5% more expensive than San Jose without rent, and 142.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Cayman Islands is 83% more expensive than San Jose without rent, and 158.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.05 KYD 24.64

$12.22 ₡5,510

145.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 KYD 92.1

$60.1 ₡27.1K

86.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.49 KYD 13.52

$11.77 ₡5,305

40.10%

Cappuccino

$7.27 KYD 5.96

$4.30 ₡1,939

69.07%

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

$3.26 KYD 2.68

$2.72 ₡1,226

19.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 KYD 2.43

$1.84 ₡830

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 KYD 5.77

$3.28 ₡1,480

114.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.19 KYD 7.53

$4.36 ₡1,966

110.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.46 KYD 3.66

$2.38 ₡1,074

87.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 KYD 3.74

$3.12 ₡1,408

46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.14 KYD 4.22

$2.41 ₡1,086

113.28%

Eggs

$7.42 KYD 6.08

$3.47 ₡1,564

113.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$46.93 KYD 38.49

$10.57 ₡4,767

343.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.10 KYD 16.48

$10.56 ₡4,758

90.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.81 KYD 17.07

$13.75 ₡6,196

51.35%

Apples (1kg)

$7.84 KYD 6.43

$5.04 ₡2,274

55.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.57 KYD 2.92

$1.61 ₡727

121.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.57 KYD 5.39

$4.59 ₡2,069

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.58 KYD 6.22

$3.84 ₡1,731

97.40%

Potato (1kg)

$4.57 KYD 3.75

$3.77 ₡1,700

21.22%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 KYD 3.28

$3.76 ₡1,693

6.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.55 KYD 2.91

$1.12 ₡506

216.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 KYD 1.94

$3.20 ₡1,441

-25.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.33 KYD 11.75

$5.84 ₡2,632

145.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.16 KYD 19.81

$19.73 ₡8,897

22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.36 KYD 3.58

$2.75 ₡1,240

58.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 KYD 4.53

$3.66 ₡1,650

50.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 KYD 1.99

$1.12 ₡503

116.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.0 KYD 66.4

$65.1 ₡29.4K

24.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$18.92 KYD 15.51

$2.46 ₡1,110

669.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.80 KYD 3.12

$1.54 ₡692

146.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.95 KYD 36.86

$8.46 ₡3,815

431.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 KYD 1.36

$1.55 ₡699

6.45%

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

$41.7K KYD 34.2K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

92.25%

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

$38.8K KYD 31.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

11.26%

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

$486 KYD 399

$94.7 ₡42.7K

413.37%

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

$119 KYD 97.2

$35.11 ₡15.8K

237.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$117 KYD 95.7

$58.6 ₡26.4K

99.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$202 KYD 166

$72.2 ₡32.5K

180.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.10 KYD 39.44

$25.19 ₡11.4K

90.95%

Cinema Ticket

$19.37 KYD 15.88

$7.83 ₡3,532

147.38%

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

$1,795 KYD 1,472

$971 ₡437.9K

84.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K KYD 22.0K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

58.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 KYD 71.4

$71.6 ₡32.3K

21.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.3 KYD 63.4

$54.9 ₡24.7K

40.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 KYD 110

$129 ₡58.2K

4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 KYD 119

$133 ₡60.0K

9.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,966 KYD 2,432

$934 ₡420.9K

217.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,297 KYD 1,883

$770 ₡347.2K

198.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,765 KYD 4,727

$1,945 ₡876.7K

196.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,623 KYD 3,791

$1,316 ₡593.5K

251.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.3K KYD 10.9K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

483.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,495 KYD 6,146

$1,795 ₡809.1K

317.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,643 KYD 6,268

$1,006 ₡453.5K

659.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.62

-16.47%

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

Last update for the Cayman Islands: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cayman Islands

$2.3K 48.3%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 66.5% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayman Islands

$721 15.2%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 73.9% $533

Groceries & Markets

Cayman Islands

$714 15%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 44.2% $315

Eating Out

Cayman Islands

$456 9.6%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 49.9% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Cayman Islands

$241 5.1%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 63.6% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Cayman Islands

$200 4.2%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 12.6% $25

Getting Around

Cayman Islands

$129 2.7%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 38% $49

Good to know

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h behind the Cayman Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,483

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.09 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KYD – Cayman Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Dollar ($)

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 KYD (1 KYD = 1.09 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to KYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cayman Islands San Jose 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cayman Islands
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

Cayman Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared