Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Green Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,003 a month against $1,924 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

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

Cost of Living Index in Green Island
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Green Island Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Green Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,924 in San Jose versus $1,003 in Green Island.

San Jose $1,924
Green Island $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,926 in San Jose versus $1,656 in Green Island.

San Jose $2,926
Green Island $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,929 in San Jose versus $2,308 in Green Island.

San Jose $3,929
Green Island $2,308

Living in San Jose is roughly 92% more expensive than in Green Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: San Jose is 42% above, Green Island is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,513

$13.40 JMD 2,117

-8.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡27.9K

$73.9 JMD 11.7K

-15.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 ₡5,171

$8.05 JMD 1,271

43.23%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,953

$5.34 JMD 843

-18.54%

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

$2.64 ₡1,183

$1.14 JMD 180

131.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡836

$0.68 JMD 108

173.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,490

$2.19 JMD 346

51.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,026

$3.20 JMD 505

41.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$4.10 JMD 647

-41.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,381

$3.81 JMD 603

-19.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$1.61 JMD 255

55.28%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,562

$3.50 JMD 554

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,815

$11.48 JMD 1,814

-6.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,629

$6.12 JMD 967

68.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,325

$10.14 JMD 1,603

39.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,256

$5.96 JMD 942

-15.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡714

$3.83 JMD 604

-58.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,171

$7.34 JMD 1,160

-34.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$2.95 JMD 466

34.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,684

$3.26 JMD 515

15.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$2.66 JMD 421

40.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡485

$2.98 JMD 472

-63.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.46 JMD 230

122.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,627

$9.17 JMD 1,449

-36.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 ₡9,095

$11.48 JMD 1,813

76.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.92 JMD 462

-0.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₡1,673

$3.88 JMD 613

-3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡486

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.23 JMD 194

103.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$3.08 JMD 486

-47.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,904

$6.24 JMD 985

39.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡709

$1.39 JMD 220

13.67%

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

$33.6K ₡15.1M

$44.6K JMD 7.1M

-24.74%

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

$41.7K ₡18.7M

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

28.26%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$170 JMD 26.9K

-45.00%

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

$35.42 ₡15.9K

$29.69 JMD 4,690

19.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$52.2 JMD 8,251

14.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.83 ₡11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$13.42 JMD 2,121

-42.32%

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

$1,005 ₡450.9K

$360 JMD 56.8K

179.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$8,332 JMD 1.3M

102.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 ₡32.8K

$23.80 JMD 3,761

206.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$31.64 JMD 5,000

75.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.5K

$77.9 JMD 12.3K

64.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.5K

$102 JMD 16.1K

27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₡418.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡340.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡862.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 ₡572.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ₡821.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 ₡461.3K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Green Island: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$760 39.5%

Green Island

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$403 21%

Green Island

$382 38% 5.3% $21

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.9%

Green Island

$220 21.9% 3.9% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Green Island

$252 25.1% 33.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9.1%

Green Island

$106 10.6% 39.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Green Island

$27 * 2.7% 69.5% $61

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.2%

Green Island

$17 * 1.7% 79.4% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $62.0 in San Jose vs $74.0 in Green Island. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $382, with Green Island cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Green Island

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

16:39 4:39 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

2,546

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Green Island 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Green Island

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 Green Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose and Green Island differ by about 92% in total monthly costs ($1,924 vs $1,003 including rent). Green Island is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,886 in San Jose and $1,505 in Green Island 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in San Jose. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,924 per month in San Jose versus $1,003 in Green Island – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,003 in Green Island versus $1,924 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Green Island but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Green Island 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 Green Island gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in San Jose. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.