Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,502 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,502

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Jamaica is 17.9% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 23% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Jamaica is 12.7% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 JMD 1,738

$12.22 ₡5,510

-9.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 JMD 11.8K

$60.1 ₡27.1K

24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 JMD 1,255

$11.77 ₡5,305

-32.46%

Cappuccino

$4.39 JMD 693

$4.30 ₡1,939

2.09%

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

$1.23 JMD 195

$2.72 ₡1,226

-54.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 112

$1.84 ₡830

-61.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$3.28 ₡1,480

-31.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 JMD 594

$4.36 ₡1,966

-13.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.70 JMD 584

$2.38 ₡1,074

55.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.35 JMD 529

$3.12 ₡1,408

7.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 250

$2.41 ₡1,086

-34.44%

Eggs

$3.80 JMD 600

$3.47 ₡1,564

9.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 JMD 1,928

$10.57 ₡4,767

15.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 JMD 1,299

$10.56 ₡4,758

-22.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.46 JMD 1,336

$13.75 ₡6,196

-38.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.71 JMD 1,060

$5.04 ₡2,274

33.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.73 JMD 590

$1.61 ₡727

131.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.07 JMD 800

$4.59 ₡2,069

10.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$3.84 ₡1,731

-30.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 JMD 452

$3.77 ₡1,700

-24.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$3.76 ₡1,693

-31.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$1.12 ₡506

133.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 JMD 216

$3.20 ₡1,441

-57.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.63 JMD 1,678

$5.84 ₡2,632

82.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 JMD 1,867

$19.73 ₡8,897

-40.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 451

$2.75 ₡1,240

4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 JMD 502

$3.66 ₡1,650

-13.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 JMD 147

$1.12 ₡503

-16.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.19 JMD 7,452

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-27.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 JMD 157

$2.46 ₡1,110

-59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 492

$1.54 ₡692

101.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$8.46 ₡3,815

-16.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 JMD 225

$1.55 ₡699

-7.74%

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

$41.5K JMD 6.5M

$21.7K ₡9.8M

91.07%

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

$28.3K JMD 4.5M

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-18.76%

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

$154 JMD 24.3K

$94.7 ₡42.7K

62.64%

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

$27.19 JMD 4,294

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-22.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.70 JMD 7,848

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-15.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 JMD 8,560

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-24.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.00 JMD 2,527

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-36.48%

Cinema Ticket

$13.01 JMD 2,054

$7.83 ₡3,532

66.16%

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

$334 JMD 52.8K

$971 ₡437.9K

-65.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,045 JMD 796.6K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-70.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.75 JMD 4,697

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-58.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.81 JMD 4,707

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-45.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

$129 ₡58.2K

-40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.8 JMD 14.3K

$133 ₡60.0K

-31.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 JMD 128.1K

$934 ₡420.9K

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 JMD 68.0K

$770 ₡347.2K

-44.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 JMD 278.0K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-9.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 JMD 184.5K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-11.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,422 JMD 698.2K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

94.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,378 JMD 533.4K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

88.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$768 JMD 121.2K

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-23.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

8.62

11.48%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$431 29.3%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 78.7% $339

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$231 15.7%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 18.4% $43

Eating Out

Jamaica

$191 13%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 19.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 7%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 71% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$80 5.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 9.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Jamaica

$67 4.6%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 18.1% $12

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h behind Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 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 JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica San Jose 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
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

Jamaica vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and San Jose

CRC, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Jamaica

San Jose

Jamaica

San Jose

Jamaica vs other spots: cost of living compared

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