Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Kingston versus $1,949 in San Jose.

Kingston $1,668
San Jose $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,779 in Kingston versus $2,903 in San Jose.

Kingston $2,779
San Jose $2,903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,890 in Kingston versus $3,857 in San Jose.

Kingston $3,890
San Jose $3,857

Living in Kingston costs roughly 14% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 24% above, San Jose 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.57 JMD 2,150

$12.22 ₡5,510

11.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.8K

$60.1 ₡27.1K

23.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 JMD 1,261

$11.77 ₡5,305

-32.46%

Cappuccino

$5.47 JMD 866

$4.30 ₡1,939

27.21%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$2.72 ₡1,226

-58.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 118

$1.84 ₡830

-59.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$3.28 ₡1,480

-31.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 JMD 496

$4.36 ₡1,966

-28.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.12 JMD 654

$2.38 ₡1,074

73.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 JMD 600

$3.12 ₡1,408

21.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$2.41 ₡1,086

-34.02%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 564

$3.47 ₡1,564

2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 JMD 1,778

$10.57 ₡4,767

6.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 JMD 1,026

$10.56 ₡4,758

-38.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,620

$13.75 ₡6,196

-25.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 JMD 933

$5.04 ₡2,274

16.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.90 JMD 619

$1.61 ₡727

142.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.34 JMD 1,163

$4.59 ₡2,069

59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 485

$3.84 ₡1,731

-20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 511

$3.77 ₡1,700

-14.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 JMD 423

$3.76 ₡1,693

-28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 JMD 483

$1.12 ₡506

172.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 240

$3.20 ₡1,441

-52.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 JMD 1,507

$5.84 ₡2,632

62.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 JMD 1,793

$19.73 ₡8,897

-42.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 JMD 447

$2.75 ₡1,240

2.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 JMD 649

$3.66 ₡1,650

12.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 JMD 123

$1.12 ₡503

-30.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.32 JMD 5,914

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-42.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 196

$2.46 ₡1,110

-49.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 JMD 504

$1.54 ₡692

106.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 JMD 1,023

$8.46 ₡3,815

-23.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 225

$1.55 ₡699

-8.39%

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

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

$21.7K ₡9.8M

105.80%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-5.76%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$94.7 ₡42.7K

78.14%

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

$29.11 JMD 4,613

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-17.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 JMD 8,390

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-9.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 JMD 9,904

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-13.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 JMD 2,793

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-30.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 JMD 2,104

$7.83 ₡3,532

69.60%

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

$357 JMD 56.6K

$971 ₡437.9K

-63.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-51.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 JMD 3,780

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-66.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,971

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-42.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 JMD 12.4K

$129 ₡58.2K

-39.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$133 ₡60.0K

-23.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 JMD 151.6K

$934 ₡420.9K

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 JMD 91.3K

$770 ₡347.2K

-25.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 JMD 338.9K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

9.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 JMD 220.5K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

5.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,892 JMD 458.2K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

26.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,080 JMD 329.6K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

15.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$733 JMD 116.1K

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-27.18%

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 Kingston: October 4, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$576 34.2%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 33.6% $194

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 22.8%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 3.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$251 14.9%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 24.9% $62

Eating Out

Kingston

$223 13.2%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 2.2% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$106 6.3%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 65.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 1.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.4%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 38.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Kingston and $934 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Kingston vs $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $399, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

23:43 11:43 PM

1 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Kingston
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

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

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in San Jose. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in San Jose. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $957 in Kingston versus $934 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $357 in Kingston versus $971 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $1,949 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.