Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $1,938 in San Jose, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
San Jose $1,938

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Montego Bay vs $2,936 in San Jose, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,141
San Jose $2,936

A family of three spends $3,113 per month in Montego Bay vs $3,934 in San Jose, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,113
San Jose $3,934

Montego Bay is about 40% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montego Bay sits 13% below the global median, while San Jose is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$12.38 ₡5,551

-10.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

21.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,319

$11.45 ₡5,135

-27.07%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$4.39 ₡1,967

18.91%

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

$0.94 JMD 149

$2.70 ₡1,211

-65.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$1.93 ₡864

-63.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$3.20 ₡1,433

-32.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 484

$4.41 ₡1,979

-30.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.30 JMD 522

$2.44 ₡1,093

35.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 JMD 413

$3.05 ₡1,369

-14.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 217

$2.41 ₡1,081

-42.74%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$3.40 ₡1,523

2.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,775

$10.75 ₡4,823

4.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 968

$10.43 ₡4,679

-41.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 JMD 1,430

$13.99 ₡6,273

-35.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 JMD 637

$5.25 ₡2,353

-23.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$1.59 ₡712

59.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 JMD 1,151

$4.69 ₡2,103

55.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 JMD 388

$3.95 ₡1,770

-37.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 386

$3.92 ₡1,760

-37.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$3.68 ₡1,651

-27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 JMD 403

$1.12 ₡503

127.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$3.19 ₡1,429

-75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,447

$6.00 ₡2,692

52.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$19.56 ₡8,771

-43.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.82 ₡1,263

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 JMD 640

$3.59 ₡1,611

12.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 JMD 152

$1.12 ₡503

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 147

$2.50 ₡1,119

-62.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.63 ₡733

94.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 JMD 988

$8.50 ₡3,812

-26.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.56 ₡701

-13.46%

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

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

$22.4K ₡10.0M

97.09%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-8.27%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

78.01%

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

$22.58 JMD 3,567

$35.58 ₡16.0K

-36.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 JMD 7,477

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-19.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 JMD 7,038

$72.7 ₡32.6K

-38.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 JMD 1,367

$7.58 ₡3,401

14.12%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$1,001 ₡449.0K

-64.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-52.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.50 JMD 3,713

$70.5 ₡31.6K

-66.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 JMD 4,866

$55.8 ₡25.0K

-44.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

$130 ₡58.2K

-47.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$131 ₡58.7K

-21.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 JMD 50.2K

$927 ₡415.8K

-65.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.1K

$774 ₡347.2K

-71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$1,967 ₡882.0K

-52.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$1,288 ₡577.6K

-27.45%

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)

$595 JMD 94.0K

$1,016 ₡455.8K

-41.49%

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 Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$323 27.7%

San Jose

$401 20.7% 24.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$239 20.5%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 20.9% $50

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$222 19%

San Jose

$774 40% 248% $552

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$200 17.1%

San Jose

$229 11.8% 14.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$101 8.6%

San Jose

$174 9% 72.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$62 5.3%

San Jose

$88 4.5% 42% $26

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

San Jose

$82 4.2% 297% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $318 in Montego Bay versus $927 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Montego Bay versus $61.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Montego Bay vs $401 in San Jose – so Montego Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

1 h behind Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

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 19, 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 19, 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

Montego Bay San Jose 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
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

Montego Bay vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 66% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,753 per month in Montego Bay and $2,907 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montego Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Montego Bay 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 24% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $1,938 in San Jose. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Montego Bay. 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.