Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negril and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Negril: $927 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Negril
Learn more

Negril Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Negril

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$927

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $927 in Negril versus $2,105 in San Jose.

Negril $927
San Jose $2,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,478 in Negril versus $3,074 in San Jose.

Negril $1,478
San Jose $3,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,029 in Negril versus $4,043 in San Jose.

Negril $2,029
San Jose $4,043

Living in Negril costs roughly 56% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Negril is 32% below, San Jose is 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 JMD 1,526

$12.43 ₡5,609

-22.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.26 JMD 7,767

$60.9 ₡27.5K

-19.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 JMD 1,269

$11.72 ₡5,288

-31.31%

Cappuccino

$2.05 JMD 323

$4.47 ₡2,019

-54.14%

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

$1.15 JMD 181

$2.75 ₡1,241

-58.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$1.92 ₡867

-61.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

$3.26 ₡1,470

-33.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 JMD 503

$4.45 ₡2,009

-28.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.02 JMD 634

$2.36 ₡1,063

70.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 JMD 532

$3.09 ₡1,393

9.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 249

$2.40 ₡1,083

-34.17%

Eggs

$3.51 JMD 554

$3.44 ₡1,553

2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 JMD 1,773

$10.73 ₡4,841

4.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 JMD 998

$10.36 ₡4,674

-38.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 JMD 1,606

$13.84 ₡6,243

-26.37%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 JMD 956

$5.15 ₡2,323

17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.96 JMD 624

$1.65 ₡746

140.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.47 JMD 1,177

$4.67 ₡2,109

59.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 471

$3.98 ₡1,798

-24.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 JMD 497

$3.90 ₡1,761

-19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 406

$3.65 ₡1,647

-29.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 JMD 472

$1.08 ₡487

176.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 227

$3.10 ₡1,398

-53.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$6.08 ₡2,745

53.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 JMD 1,776

$20.05 ₡9,047

-43.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 JMD 460

$2.77 ₡1,252

5.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 JMD 622

$3.69 ₡1,666

6.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 193

$2.49 ₡1,122

-51.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 JMD 509

$1.63 ₡735

98.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 JMD 1,002

$8.47 ₡3,821

-24.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.57 ₡708

-6.37%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

26.42%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-22.96%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$93.2 ₡42.0K

78.51%

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

$29.95 JMD 4,722

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 JMD 8,179

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-12.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 JMD 2,090

$7.85 ₡3,543

68.92%

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

$362 JMD 57.0K

$996 ₡449.4K

-63.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,121 JMD 1.3M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-52.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.75 JMD 3,745

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-66.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 JMD 4,873

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-44.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

$130 ₡58.5K

-40.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$131 ₡59.2K

-20.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 JMD 158.5K

$1,164 ₡525.2K

-13.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.1K

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 Negril: October 26, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Negril

$378 40.8%

San Jose

$399 19% 5.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negril

$248 26.8%

San Jose

$188 9% 24.1% $60

Eating Out

Negril

$151 16.3%

San Jose

$232 11% 53.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Negril

$106 11.4%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 64.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Negril

$27 * 2.9%

San Jose

$85 4% 220% $58

Getting Around

Negril

$17 * 1.9%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 372% $64

Accommodation & Living

Negril

- * 0%

San Jose

$945 44.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Negril and $1,164 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Negril vs $61 in San Jose for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $399 per month, with Negril cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Negril

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h behind Negril

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,779

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Negril San Jose 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Negril
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $927 in Negril and $2,105 in San Jose, so Negril is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,390 in Negril and $3,158 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,005 in Negril versus $1,164 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $362 in Negril versus $996 in San Jose. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negril – a meal for two runs $49 versus $61 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $927 in Negril versus $2,105 in San Jose, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Negril but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Negril 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.