Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
Learn more

Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Alexandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Jose and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in San Jose versus $1,044 in Alexandria.

San Jose $1,949
Alexandria $1,044

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,903 in San Jose versus $1,704 in Alexandria.

San Jose $2,903
Alexandria $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,857 in San Jose versus $2,364 in Alexandria.

San Jose $3,857
Alexandria $2,364

Living in San Jose is roughly 87% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 45% above, Alexandria is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$15.61 JMD 2,466

-21.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

-21.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$8.75 JMD 1,381

34.51%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$5.28 JMD 834

-18.56%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.16 JMD 184

134.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.68 JMD 107

170.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.27 JMD 359

44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$3.21 JMD 508

35.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$4.09 JMD 646

-41.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$3.86 JMD 610

-19.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.59 JMD 250

51.57%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.53 JMD 557

-1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$11.57 JMD 1,826

-8.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$6.39 JMD 1,009

65.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$10.30 JMD 1,626

33.50%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$6.22 JMD 983

-18.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$3.93 JMD 621

-59.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$7.47 JMD 1,180

-38.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$3.01 JMD 475

27.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$3.33 JMD 525

13.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$2.59 JMD 409

45.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$3.12 JMD 492

-64.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.47 JMD 232

117.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$9.74 JMD 1,538

-40.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$11.57 JMD 1,827

70.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.90 JMD 458

-5.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$4.07 JMD 643

-10.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$1.17 JMD 185

110.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$3.13 JMD 494

-50.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$6.42 JMD 1,013

31.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.42 JMD 224

9.15%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-51.67%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

5.91%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$174 JMD 27.5K

-45.65%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$30.04 JMD 4,744

16.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$53.0 JMD 8,365

10.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$13.14 JMD 2,074

-40.41%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$359 JMD 56.7K

170.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

106.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$23.28 JMD 3,676

207.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$31.50 JMD 4,974

74.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

66.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$102 JMD 16.1K

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.45

-8.78%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Alexandria

$388 37.6% 2.7% $11

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Alexandria

$240 23.2% 5.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Alexandria

$257 24.9% 36.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Alexandria

$105 10.2% 39.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5% 70.1% $62

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6% 78.9% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $60.0 in San Jose vs $77.0 in Alexandria. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $388, with Alexandria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

1,927

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Alexandria 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Alexandria

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

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

San Jose and Alexandria differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,949 vs $1,044 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,924 in San Jose and $1,567 in Alexandria 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.

Childcare runs $971 in San Jose versus $359 in Alexandria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $60.0 in San Jose. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $1,949 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.