Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Duncans actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,105 per month in San Jose vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

San Jose $2,105
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $3,074 per month in San Jose vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

San Jose $3,074
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $4,043 per month in San Jose vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

San Jose $4,043
Duncans $2,336

San Jose costs about 108% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Jose sits 55% above the global median, while Duncans is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,609

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-8.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,288

$8.14 JMD 1,284

43.98%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,019

$5.44 JMD 858

-17.83%

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

$2.75 ₡1,241

$1.14 JMD 180

141.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$0.71 JMD 111

170.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,470

$2.25 JMD 355

44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$3.21 JMD 507

38.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$4.15 JMD 655

-43.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$3.73 JMD 588

-17.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$1.58 JMD 249

51.90%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$3.58 JMD 565

-3.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,841

$11.50 JMD 1,813

-6.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,674

$6.21 JMD 979

66.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,243

$10.34 JMD 1,631

33.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,323

$6.01 JMD 947

-14.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$3.97 JMD 625

-58.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,109

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-38.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,798

$3.02 JMD 476

31.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,761

$3.32 JMD 523

17.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,647

$2.61 JMD 411

39.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$3.01 JMD 475

-64.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$1.43 JMD 226

116.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,745

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-35.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,047

$11.25 JMD 1,775

78.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$2.78 JMD 439

-0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,666

$3.96 JMD 625

-6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.27 JMD 200

96.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$3.20 JMD 505

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,821

$6.23 JMD 983

35.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.45 JMD 228

8.28%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-21.57%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

31.66%

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

$93.2 ₡42.0K

$171 JMD 27.0K

-45.62%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$29.64 JMD 4,674

21.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$51.8 JMD 8,166

14.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,543

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-41.46%

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

$996 ₡449.4K

$355 JMD 56.0K

180.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

105.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.6K

$23.91 JMD 3,771

193.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$31.38 JMD 4,949

76.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.5K

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

64.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$103 JMD 16.3K

27.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.2K

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 %)

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 26, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Duncans

$384 38% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 3.7% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Duncans

$253 25% 34.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 38.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 68.3% $58

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 78.9% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Jose versus $76 in Duncans. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in San Jose vs $384 in Duncans – so Duncans wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

13:15 1:15 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

5,153

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

San Jose
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,158 per month in San Jose and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,105 in San Jose and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 108%.

Kindergarten costs $996 per month in San Jose and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in San Jose at $2,105. In Duncans it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $2,105 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.