Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Falmouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Falmouth: $1,000 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Falmouth
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Falmouth Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Falmouth

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,000 in Falmouth, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Falmouth $1,000

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,655 in Falmouth, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Falmouth $1,655

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,310 in Falmouth, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Falmouth $2,310

San Jose costs about 94% more than Falmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Falmouth is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$13.26 JMD 2,095

-6.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$75.7 JMD 12.0K

-19.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$7.99 JMD 1,262

43.30%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$5.22 JMD 825

-15.90%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.19 JMD 188

126.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.74 JMD 116

160.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.14 JMD 339

49.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.19 JMD 504

38.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$4.06 JMD 642

-39.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$3.67 JMD 580

-16.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.64 JMD 259

46.95%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.61 JMD 570

-5.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$11.44 JMD 1,808

-6.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$6.22 JMD 983

67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$10.10 JMD 1,595

38.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$6.07 JMD 958

-13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$3.98 JMD 629

-60.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$7.24 JMD 1,144

-35.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$2.97 JMD 470

33.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$3.22 JMD 508

21.74%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.68 JMD 424

37.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$3.14 JMD 496

-64.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.45 JMD 228

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$9.21 JMD 1,456

-34.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.51 JMD 1,819

69.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.81 JMD 444

0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$4.02 JMD 635

-10.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.17 JMD 185

113.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$3.09 JMD 488

-47.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$6.39 JMD 1,009

33.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.41 JMD 222

10.64%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

-48.04%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

8.61%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$169 JMD 26.7K

-43.71%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$29.47 JMD 4,656

20.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$53.5 JMD 8,453

9.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$13.43 JMD 2,121

-43.56%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$361 JMD 57.0K

177.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$8,337 JMD 1.3M

105.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$23.24 JMD 3,671

203.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$30.99 JMD 4,896

80.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$76.5 JMD 12.1K

69.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$101 JMD 16.0K

29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

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)

$1,016 ₡455.8K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Falmouth: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Falmouth

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Falmouth

$382 38.2% 4.7% $19

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Falmouth

$218 21.8% 5.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Falmouth

$252 25.2% 33.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Falmouth

$104 10.4% 40% $70

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Falmouth

$27 * 2.7% 69.4% $61

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Falmouth

$17 * 1.7% 79.7% $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 $61.0 in San Jose versus $76.0 in Falmouth. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in San Jose vs $382 in Falmouth – so Falmouth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Falmouth

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

7,779

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

San Jose
Falmouth

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 Falmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 94% more than Falmouth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $1,499 in Falmouth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose and $76.0 in Falmouth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% 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 Falmouth, where all-in costs run around $1,000, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Falmouth 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. Falmouth costs $1,000 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 Falmouth. 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.