Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Duncans and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,011 per month in Duncans vs $2,105 in San Jose, rent included.

Duncans $1,011
San Jose $2,105

A couple spends around $1,673 per month in Duncans vs $3,074 in San Jose, rent included.

Duncans $1,673
San Jose $3,074

A family of three spends $2,336 per month in Duncans vs $4,043 in San Jose, rent included.

Duncans $2,336
San Jose $4,043

Duncans is about 52% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Duncans sits 26% below the global median, while San Jose is 55% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.60 JMD 2,144

$12.43 ₡5,609

9.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

$60.9 ₡27.5K

24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 JMD 1,284

$11.72 ₡5,288

-30.55%

Cappuccino

$5.44 JMD 858

$4.47 ₡2,019

21.70%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$2.75 ₡1,241

-58.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 111

$1.92 ₡867

-63.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 JMD 355

$3.26 ₡1,470

-30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$4.45 ₡2,009

-27.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.15 JMD 655

$2.36 ₡1,063

75.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 JMD 588

$3.09 ₡1,393

20.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 249

$2.40 ₡1,083

-34.17%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 565

$3.44 ₡1,553

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 JMD 1,813

$10.73 ₡4,841

7.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 JMD 979

$10.36 ₡4,674

-40.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 JMD 1,631

$13.84 ₡6,243

-25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.01 JMD 947

$5.15 ₡2,323

16.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.97 JMD 625

$1.65 ₡746

140.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.54 JMD 1,190

$4.67 ₡2,109

61.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 JMD 476

$3.98 ₡1,798

-24.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$3.90 ₡1,761

-14.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 411

$3.65 ₡1,647

-28.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$1.08 ₡487

178.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$3.10 ₡1,398

-53.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 JMD 1,494

$6.08 ₡2,745

55.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.25 JMD 1,775

$20.05 ₡9,047

-43.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$2.77 ₡1,252

0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 625

$3.69 ₡1,666

7.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 200

$2.49 ₡1,122

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 505

$1.63 ₡735

96.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.23 JMD 983

$8.47 ₡3,821

-26.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 JMD 228

$1.57 ₡708

-7.64%

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

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

27.51%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-24.05%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$93.2 ₡42.0K

83.90%

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

$29.64 JMD 4,674

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-17.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,166

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-12.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 JMD 2,115

$7.85 ₡3,543

70.83%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$996 ₡449.4K

-64.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-51.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.91 JMD 3,771

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-65.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.38 JMD 4,949

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-43.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$130 ₡58.5K

-39.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$131 ₡59.2K

-21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

8.62

9.63%

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

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Duncans

$384 38%

San Jose

$399 19% 4.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Duncans

$253 25%

San Jose

$188 9% 25.5% $64

Eating Out

Duncans

$224 22.1%

San Jose

$232 11% 3.8% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Duncans

$107 10.6%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 62.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Duncans

$27 * 2.7%

San Jose

$85 4% 216% $58

Getting Around

Duncans

$17 * 1.7%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 374% $65

Accommodation & Living

Duncans

- * 0%

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Duncans versus $61 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Duncans vs $399 in San Jose – so Duncans wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Duncans

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h behind Duncans

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,153

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Duncans San Jose 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Duncans
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

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

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,517 per month in Duncans and $3,158 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,011 in Duncans and $2,105 in San Jose. That’s a gap of about 108%.

Kindergarten costs $355 per month in Duncans and $996 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in San Jose at $2,105. In Duncans it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $2,105 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.