Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

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🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in Costa Rica

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jamaica and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Jamaica vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Jamaica $1,472
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Jamaica vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Jamaica $2,514
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jamaica vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Jamaica $3,557
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in Jamaica ($8–$1,677) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Jamaica is roughly 19% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Jamaica and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Jamaica by 8%, Costa Rica by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$11.26 ₡5,085

-2.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$54.5 ₡24.6K

40.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$11.02 ₡4,975

-24.05%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$4.43 ₡1,999

3.16%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$2.34 ₡1,055

-46.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$1.84 ₡829

-60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$3.26 ₡1,473

-32.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$4.55 ₡2,054

-17.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$2.45 ₡1,105

57.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$3.56 ₡1,608

-8.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$2.76 ₡1,245

-40.58%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$3.97 ₡1,794

0.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$10.47 ₡4,728

12.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$9.98 ₡4,507

-18.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$13.91 ₡6,278

-36.45%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$5.06 ₡2,283

31.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$1.69 ₡764

114.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$3.45 ₡1,558

45.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$3.23 ₡1,460

-20.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$3.44 ₡1,555

-19.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$3.25 ₡1,465

-20.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$1.09 ₡492

140.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$2.67 ₡1,204

-49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$5.38 ₡2,427

97.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$15.50 ₡6,996

-21.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.75 ₡1,241

0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$3.30 ₡1,489

-0.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$1.13 ₡509

-46.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$65.5 ₡29.6K

-43.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$2.17 ₡979

-58.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$2.02 ₡913

57.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$8.94 ₡4,036

-21.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.61 ₡726

-15.53%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

19.02%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-21.96%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$94.9 ₡42.9K

58.63%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$31.42 ₡14.2K

-13.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-14.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$65.7 ₡29.7K

-17.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-27.97%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$8.10 ₡3,656

61.85%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$722 ₡325.9K

-53.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-60.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-61.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-48.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$128 ₡57.9K

-40.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$108 ₡48.8K

-15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$960 ₡433.4K

-15.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$708 ₡319.6K

-37.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$1,749 ₡789.4K

1.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$1,215 ₡548.5K

-5.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

68.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$1,839 ₡830.1K

80.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$1,058 ₡477.8K

-25.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

9.56

0.52%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 60.4% $267

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 2.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 18.9% $43

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 12.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 62.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 1.5% $1.2

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 45.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $654 in Jamaica vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $958 in Kingston and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $793 in Jamaica vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 31% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 33% more in Jamaica.

Public transport is 52% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 37% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

1 h behind Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica Costa Rica 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
Costa Rica

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

Jamaica vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jamaica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 19% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $654 in Jamaica.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Jamaica, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Jamaica is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.