Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,938 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,938

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Montego Bay

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

A single person spends $1,938 per month in San Jose vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

San Jose $1,938
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $2,936 per month in San Jose vs $2,141 in Montego Bay, rent included.

San Jose $2,936
Montego Bay $2,141

A family of three spends $3,934 per month in San Jose vs $3,113 in Montego Bay, rent included.

San Jose $3,934
Montego Bay $3,113

San Jose costs about 66% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 44% above the global median, while Montego Bay is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$11.14 JMD 1,760

11.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-17.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.45 ₡5,135

$8.35 JMD 1,319

37.13%

Cappuccino

$4.39 ₡1,967

$5.22 JMD 825

-15.90%

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

$2.70 ₡1,211

$0.94 JMD 149

187.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡864

$0.70 JMD 110

175.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,433

$2.17 JMD 343

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,979

$3.06 JMD 484

44.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,093

$3.30 JMD 522

-26.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,369

$2.61 JMD 413

16.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.38 JMD 217

74.64%

Eggs

$3.40 ₡1,523

$3.48 JMD 550

-2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,823

$11.24 JMD 1,775

-4.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,679

$6.13 JMD 968

70.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,273

$9.05 JMD 1,430

54.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₡2,353

$4.03 JMD 637

30.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡712

$2.53 JMD 400

-37.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,103

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-35.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 ₡1,770

$2.45 JMD 388

61.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$2.44 JMD 386

60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 ₡1,651

$2.66 JMD 420

38.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡503

$2.55 JMD 403

-56.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₡1,429

$0.77 JMD 121

314.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,692

$9.16 JMD 1,447

-34.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.56 ₡8,771

$11.14 JMD 1,760

75.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.80 JMD 442

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,611

$4.05 JMD 640

-11.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.96 JMD 152

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,119

$0.93 JMD 147

168.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡733

$3.17 JMD 501

-48.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,812

$6.25 JMD 988

36.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.35 JMD 214

15.56%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-49.26%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

9.02%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$170 JMD 26.8K

-43.82%

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

$35.58 ₡16.0K

$22.58 JMD 3,567

57.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.3K

$47.32 JMD 7,477

23.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.7 ₡32.6K

$44.55 JMD 7,038

63.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 ₡11.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 ₡3,401

$8.65 JMD 1,367

-12.37%

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

$1,001 ₡449.0K

$355 JMD 56.0K

182.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

108.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$23.50 JMD 3,713

199.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$30.80 JMD 4,866

81.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.2K

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

91.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.7K

$102 JMD 16.1K

28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$927 ₡415.8K

$318 JMD 50.2K

191.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡347.2K

$222 JMD 35.1K

248.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 ₡882.0K

$934 JMD 147.6K

110.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 ₡577.6K

$934 JMD 147.6K

37.84%

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

$595 JMD 94.0K

70.90%

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 Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$774 40%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 71.3% $552

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$401 20.7%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 19.4% $78

Eating Out

San Jose

$229 11.8%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 12.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$189 9.8%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 26.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 9%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 42% $73

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.5%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 29.6% $26

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 4.2%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 74.8% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in San Jose versus $318 in Montego Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose versus $74.0 in Montego Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $401 in San Jose vs $323 in Montego Bay – so Montego Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

110,115

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Montego Bay 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Montego Bay

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 Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose costs about 66% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,753 in Montego Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montego Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in San Jose and $74.0 in Montego Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% 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 Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in San Jose at $1,938. In Montego Bay 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. Montego Bay costs $1,169 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 Montego Bay. 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.