Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gordon Town and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Gordon Town: $1,002 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Gordon Town
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Gordon Town Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Gordon Town vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Gordon Town $1,002
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Gordon Town vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Gordon Town $1,657
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $2,311 per month in Gordon Town vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Gordon Town $2,311
San Jose $3,934

Gordon Town is about 48% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Gordon Town sits 26% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.39 JMD 2,116

$12.38 ₡5,551

8.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

21.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 JMD 1,269

$11.45 ₡5,135

-29.87%

Cappuccino

$5.17 JMD 817

$4.39 ₡1,967

17.77%

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

$1.20 JMD 189

$2.70 ₡1,211

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$1.93 ₡864

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$3.20 ₡1,433

-31.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$4.41 ₡1,979

-27.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.24 JMD 670

$2.44 ₡1,093

73.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 JMD 588

$3.05 ₡1,369

21.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$2.41 ₡1,081

-32.37%

Eggs

$3.45 JMD 545

$3.40 ₡1,523

1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,790

$10.75 ₡4,823

5.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,001

$10.43 ₡4,679

-39.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 JMD 1,622

$13.99 ₡6,273

-26.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 JMD 955

$5.25 ₡2,353

15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.97 JMD 627

$1.59 ₡712

149.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.20 JMD 1,138

$4.69 ₡2,103

53.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 JMD 491

$3.95 ₡1,770

-21.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 JMD 513

$3.92 ₡1,760

-17.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$3.68 ₡1,651

-26.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 490

$1.12 ₡503

176.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 238

$3.19 ₡1,429

-52.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.63 JMD 1,521

$6.00 ₡2,692

60.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 JMD 1,771

$19.56 ₡8,771

-42.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 452

$2.82 ₡1,263

1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 JMD 643

$3.59 ₡1,611

13.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 JMD 185

$2.50 ₡1,119

-53.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 JMD 507

$1.63 ₡733

96.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 JMD 983

$8.50 ₡3,812

-26.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 230

$1.56 ₡701

-6.41%

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

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

95.37%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-7.45%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

77.81%

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

$29.50 JMD 4,660

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-17.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 JMD 8,148

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 JMD 2,047

$7.58 ₡3,401

70.98%

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

$366 JMD 57.8K

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-63.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,205 JMD 1.3M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-52.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.45 JMD 3,704

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-66.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.21 JMD 4,931

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-44.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

$130 ₡58.2K

-41.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$131 ₡58.7K

-21.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,274 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,831 ₡821.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

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 Gordon Town: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gordon Town

$385 38.4%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 4.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gordon Town

$250 25%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 24.3% $61

Eating Out

Gordon Town

$218 21.8%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Gordon Town

$105 10.5%

San Jose

$174 9% 65.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 239% $62

Getting Around

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 376% $65

Accommodation & Living

Gordon Town

- * 0%

San Jose

$774 40%

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 $74.0 in Gordon Town versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Gordon Town vs $401 in San Jose – so Gordon Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

1 h behind Gordon Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,088

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gordon Town San Jose 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Gordon Town
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

Gordon Town vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,503 per month in Gordon Town and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Gordon Town and $61.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gordon Town, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Gordon Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gordon Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Gordon Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.