Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Jamaica

Name: Jamaica
Address: JM

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,502 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index

Jump to prices

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,502

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: San Jose is 21.8% more expensive than Jamaica without rent, and 29.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: San Jose is 14.6% more expensive than Jamaica without rent, and 8.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$11.01 JMD 1,738

10.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$74.7 JMD 11.8K

-19.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$7.95 JMD 1,255

48.05%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$4.39 JMD 693

-2.05%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.23 JMD 195

121.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$0.71 JMD 112

159.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$2.26 JMD 357

45.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$3.76 JMD 594

15.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$3.70 JMD 584

-35.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$3.35 JMD 529

-6.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.58 JMD 250

52.53%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.80 JMD 600

-8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$12.21 JMD 1,928

-13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$8.23 JMD 1,299

28.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$8.46 JMD 1,336

62.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$6.71 JMD 1,060

-24.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$3.73 JMD 590

-56.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$5.07 JMD 800

-9.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$2.66 JMD 420

44.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$2.86 JMD 452

31.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$2.57 JMD 406

46.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$2.62 JMD 414

-57.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$1.37 JMD 216

133.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$10.63 JMD 1,678

-45.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$11.83 JMD 1,867

66.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$2.86 JMD 451

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.18 JMD 502

15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.93 JMD 147

20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$47.19 JMD 7,452

37.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$1.00 JMD 157

146.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$3.11 JMD 492

-50.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$7.04 JMD 1,112

20.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.43 JMD 225

8.39%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$41.5K JMD 6.5M

-47.66%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$28.3K JMD 4.5M

23.10%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$154 JMD 24.3K

-38.52%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$27.19 JMD 4,294

29.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$49.70 JMD 7,848

17.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$54.2 JMD 8,560

33.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$16.00 JMD 2,527

57.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$13.01 JMD 2,054

-39.82%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$334 JMD 52.8K

190.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$5,045 JMD 796.6K

236.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$29.75 JMD 4,697

140.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$29.81 JMD 4,707

84.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

67.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$90.8 JMD 14.3K

46.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$811 JMD 128.1K

15.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$431 JMD 68.0K

78.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,761 JMD 278.0K

10.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$1,168 JMD 184.5K

12.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$4,422 JMD 698.2K

-48.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$3,378 JMD 533.4K

-46.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$768 JMD 121.2K

31.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.61

-10.30%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Jamaica: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Jamaica

$431 29.3% 44.1% $339

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Jamaica

$370 25.1% 7.4% $29

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Jamaica

$191 13% 16.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Jamaica

$231 15.7% 22.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Jamaica

$102 7% 41.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Jamaica

$80 5.5% 8.7% $7.6

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Jamaica

$67 4.6% 15.3% $12

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

2,697,983

💱 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 = 505 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

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Between locations

San Jose Jamaica 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Jamaica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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