Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Green Island and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,003 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Green Island
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Green Island Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,003

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,003 in Green Island versus $1,924 in San Jose.

Green Island $1,003
San Jose $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,656 in Green Island versus $2,926 in San Jose.

Green Island $1,656
San Jose $2,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,308 in Green Island versus $3,929 in San Jose.

Green Island $2,308
San Jose $3,929

Living in Green Island costs roughly 48% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Green Island is 26% below, San Jose is 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 JMD 2,117

$12.29 ₡5,513

9.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 JMD 11.7K

$62.3 ₡27.9K

18.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 JMD 1,271

$11.53 ₡5,171

-30.18%

Cappuccino

$5.34 JMD 843

$4.35 ₡1,953

22.76%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$2.64 ₡1,183

-56.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$1.86 ₡836

-63.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 346

$3.32 ₡1,490

-34.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 JMD 505

$4.52 ₡2,026

-29.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.10 JMD 647

$2.39 ₡1,073

71.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 JMD 603

$3.08 ₡1,381

23.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 255

$2.50 ₡1,119

-35.60%

Eggs

$3.50 JMD 554

$3.48 ₡1,562

0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 JMD 1,814

$10.74 ₡4,815

6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 JMD 967

$10.32 ₡4,629

-40.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 JMD 1,603

$14.10 ₡6,325

-28.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 JMD 942

$5.03 ₡2,256

18.49%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 JMD 604

$1.59 ₡714

140.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.34 JMD 1,160

$4.84 ₡2,171

51.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 JMD 466

$3.96 ₡1,776

-25.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 JMD 515

$3.76 ₡1,684

-13.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 421

$3.73 ₡1,674

-28.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 JMD 472

$1.08 ₡485

175.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 230

$3.25 ₡1,456

-55.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 JMD 1,449

$5.86 ₡2,627

56.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 JMD 1,813

$20.28 ₡9,095

-43.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 JMD 462

$2.90 ₡1,300

0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 JMD 613

$3.73 ₡1,673

4.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 JMD 194

$2.50 ₡1,123

-50.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 JMD 486

$1.63 ₡732

88.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$8.71 ₡3,904

-28.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.58 ₡709

-12.03%

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

$44.6K JMD 7.1M

$33.6K ₡15.1M

32.88%

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

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-22.03%

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

$170 JMD 26.9K

$93.7 ₡42.0K

81.80%

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

$29.69 JMD 4,690

$35.42 ₡15.9K

-16.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 JMD 8,251

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-12.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.42 JMD 2,121

$7.74 ₡3,471

73.39%

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

$360 JMD 56.8K

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-64.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,332 JMD 1.3M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-50.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.80 JMD 3,761

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-67.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 JMD 5,000

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-42.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 JMD 12.3K

$128 ₡57.5K

-39.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$130 ₡58.5K

-21.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

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 Green Island: October 19, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Green Island

$382 38%

San Jose

$403 21% 5.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Green Island

$252 25.1%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 25% $63

Eating Out

Green Island

$220 21.9%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Green Island

$106 10.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 64.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Green Island

$27 * 2.7%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 228% $61

Getting Around

Green Island

$17 * 1.7%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 384% $64

Accommodation & Living

Green Island

- * 0%

San Jose

$760 39.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $74.0 in Green Island vs $62.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $382 vs $403, with Green Island cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Green Island

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h behind Green Island

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,546

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Green Island San Jose 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Green Island
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

Green Island vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Green Island and San Jose differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,003 vs $1,924 including rent). Green Island is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,505 in Green Island and $2,886 in San Jose to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,003 per month in Green Island versus $1,924 in San Jose – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,003 in Green Island versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Green Island but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Green Island the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Green Island gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.