Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Gordon Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Gordon Town: $1,002 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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 Gordon Town
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Gordon Town Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Gordon Town

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,002 in Gordon Town, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Gordon Town $1,002

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $1,657 in Gordon Town, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Gordon Town $1,657

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $2,311 in Gordon Town, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Gordon Town $2,311

San Jose costs about 93% more than Gordon Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$13.39 JMD 2,116

-7.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

-18.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.03 JMD 1,269

42.59%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$5.17 JMD 817

-15.09%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$1.20 JMD 189

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.68 JMD 108

183.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.19 JMD 345

46.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.21 JMD 507

37.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$4.24 JMD 670

-42.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$3.72 JMD 588

-18.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.63 JMD 258

47.85%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.45 JMD 545

-1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$11.33 JMD 1,790

-5.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$6.34 JMD 1,001

64.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$10.27 JMD 1,622

36.22%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$6.05 JMD 955

-13.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$3.97 JMD 627

-59.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$7.20 JMD 1,138

-34.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$3.11 JMD 491

27.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$3.25 JMD 513

20.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.70 JMD 427

36.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$3.10 JMD 490

-63.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$1.51 JMD 238

111.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$9.63 JMD 1,521

-37.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.21 JMD 1,771

74.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.86 JMD 452

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$4.07 JMD 643

-11.79%

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

$3.21 JMD 507

-49.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$6.22 JMD 983

36.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.46 JMD 230

6.85%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

-48.81%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

8.05%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$169 JMD 26.7K

-43.76%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$29.50 JMD 4,660

20.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$51.6 JMD 8,148

13.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$12.96 JMD 2,047

-41.51%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$366 JMD 57.8K

173.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$8,205 JMD 1.3M

108.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$23.45 JMD 3,704

200.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$31.21 JMD 4,931

78.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

70.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$103 JMD 16.3K

26.87%

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 Gordon Town: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Gordon Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Gordon Town

$385 38.4% 3.9% $16

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Gordon Town

$218 21.8% 4.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Gordon Town

$250 25% 32.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Gordon Town

$105 10.5% 39.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6% 70.5% $62

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7% 79% $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 $74.0 in Gordon Town. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in San Jose vs $385 in Gordon Town – so Gordon Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

1,088

💱 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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Between locations

San Jose Gordon Town 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Gordon Town

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 Gordon Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,907 per month in San Jose and $1,503 in Gordon Town. 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 $74.0 in Gordon Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gordon Town, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Gordon Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gordon Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Gordon Town. 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.