Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Andrew Parish and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Andrew Parish: $1,496 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrew Parish
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Saint Andrew Parish Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Saint Andrew Parish

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,496

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish versus $2,105 in San Jose.

Saint Andrew Parish $1,496
San Jose $2,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,422 in Saint Andrew Parish versus $3,074 in San Jose.

Saint Andrew Parish $2,422
San Jose $3,074

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,348 in Saint Andrew Parish versus $4,043 in San Jose.

Saint Andrew Parish $3,348
San Jose $4,043

Living in Saint Andrew Parish costs roughly 29% less than in San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Andrew Parish 10% above, San Jose 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.43 JMD 2,117

$12.43 ₡5,609

8.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 JMD 10.6K

$60.9 ₡27.5K

10.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.15 JMD 1,285

$11.72 ₡5,288

-30.46%

Cappuccino

$5.42 JMD 854

$4.47 ₡2,019

21.25%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$2.75 ₡1,241

-56.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 111

$1.92 ₡867

-63.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 JMD 354

$3.26 ₡1,470

-31.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 JMD 508

$4.45 ₡2,009

-27.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.38 JMD 532

$2.36 ₡1,063

43.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 JMD 410

$3.09 ₡1,393

-15.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 256

$2.40 ₡1,083

-32.08%

Eggs

$3.51 JMD 553

$3.44 ₡1,553

2.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,816

$10.73 ₡4,841

7.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 982

$10.36 ₡4,674

-39.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 JMD 1,634

$13.84 ₡6,243

-25.14%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$5.15 ₡2,323

17.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.98 JMD 628

$1.65 ₡746

141.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 JMD 780

$4.67 ₡2,109

5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.98 ₡1,798

-22.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 524

$3.90 ₡1,761

-14.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$3.65 ₡1,647

-29.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 JMD 294

$1.08 ₡487

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 JMD 151

$3.10 ₡1,398

-69.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.27 JMD 1,462

$6.08 ₡2,745

52.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 JMD 1,807

$20.05 ₡9,047

-42.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 JMD 400

$2.77 ₡1,252

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$3.69 ₡1,666

-16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 JMD 103

$1.12 ₡503

-41.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 JMD 154

$2.49 ₡1,122

-61.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 JMD 489

$1.63 ₡735

90.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 JMD 968

$8.47 ₡3,821

-27.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 JMD 206

$1.57 ₡708

-17.20%

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

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

29.96%

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

$24.9K JMD 3.9M

$42.3K ₡19.1M

-41.19%

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

$115 JMD 18.1K

$93.2 ₡42.0K

23.38%

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

$29.93 JMD 4,719

$36.05 ₡16.3K

-16.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 JMD 8,403

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-9.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 JMD 9,479

$69.0 ₡31.1K

-12.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 JMD 2,119

$7.85 ₡3,543

71.21%

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

$254 JMD 40.0K

$996 ₡449.4K

-74.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,331 JMD 1.3M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-51.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.59 JMD 3,720

$70.1 ₡31.6K

-66.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 JMD 4,933

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-43.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

$130 ₡58.5K

-40.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 JMD 11.8K

$131 ₡59.2K

-43.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 JMD 130.1K

$1,164 ₡525.2K

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$534 JMD 84.2K

$945 ₡426.4K

-43.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 JMD 264.9K

$1,993 ₡899.4K

-15.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 JMD 174.8K

$1,404 ₡633.4K

-21.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,675 JMD 421.9K

$2,727 ₡1.2M

-1.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡920.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 JMD 114.5K

$1,011 ₡456.1K

-28.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.41%

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

Last update for Saint Andrew Parish: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Andrew Parish

$534 35.7%

San Jose

$945 44.9% 77% $411

Groceries & Markets

Saint Andrew Parish

$342 22.9%

San Jose

$399 19% 16.6% $57

Eating Out

Saint Andrew Parish

$222 14.9%

San Jose

$232 11% 4.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Andrew Parish

$198 13.3%

San Jose

$188 9% 5% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Andrew Parish

$93 6.2%

San Jose

$174 8.3% 86.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Andrew Parish

$87 5.8%

San Jose

$85 4% 2.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Saint Andrew Parish

$19 * 1.3%

San Jose

$82 3.9% 329% $63

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 $825 in Saint Andrew Parish and $1,164 in San Jose. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose pays 39% 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: $67 in Saint Andrew Parish vs $61 in San Jose. Groceries flip the comparison at $342 vs $399, with Saint Andrew Parish cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Saint Andrew Parish

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

17:44 5:44 PM

1 h behind Saint Andrew Parish

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

555,995

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

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Between locations

Saint Andrew Parish San Jose 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Andrew Parish
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

Saint Andrew Parish vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish and $2,105 in San Jose, so Saint Andrew Parish is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Saint Andrew Parish. 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: $825 in Saint Andrew Parish versus $1,164 in San Jose. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $254 in Saint Andrew Parish 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 San Jose – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Saint Andrew Parish. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish versus $2,105 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saint Andrew Parish but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Saint Andrew Parish 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.

It comes down to priorities – Saint Andrew Parish wins on affordability, San Jose on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.