Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Saint Andrew Parish

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Andrew Parish: $1,496 a month against $2,105 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Saint Andrew Parish
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Saint Andrew Parish Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,105

/mo nomad

Saint Andrew Parish

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Saint Andrew Parish

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 Saint Andrew Parish actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,105 in San Jose versus $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish.

San Jose $2,105
Saint Andrew Parish $1,496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,074 in San Jose versus $2,422 in Saint Andrew Parish.

San Jose $3,074
Saint Andrew Parish $2,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,043 in San Jose versus $3,348 in Saint Andrew Parish.

San Jose $4,043
Saint Andrew Parish $3,348

Living in San Jose is roughly 41% more expensive than in Saint Andrew Parish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Jose 55% above, Saint Andrew Parish 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 ₡5,612

$13.43 JMD 2,120

-7.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.5K

$67.2 JMD 10.6K

-9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 ₡5,291

$8.15 JMD 1,287

43.80%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,020

$5.42 JMD 855

-17.53%

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

$2.75 ₡1,242

$1.20 JMD 190

129.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡867

$0.71 JMD 111

170.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$2.24 JMD 354

45.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 ₡2,009

$3.22 JMD 509

38.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$3.38 JMD 533

-30.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,393

$2.60 JMD 411

18.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,084

$1.63 JMD 257

47.24%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,554

$3.51 JMD 554

-1.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,843

$11.52 JMD 1,818

-6.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,676

$6.23 JMD 983

66.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,246

$10.36 JMD 1,636

33.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ₡2,324

$6.07 JMD 959

-15.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡746

$3.98 JMD 629

-58.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,110

$4.94 JMD 781

-5.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,799

$3.10 JMD 489

28.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,762

$3.32 JMD 524

17.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,648

$2.58 JMD 408

41.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.86 JMD 294

-41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,399

$0.96 JMD 151

222.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 ₡2,746

$9.27 JMD 1,464

-34.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.05 ₡9,051

$11.46 JMD 1,809

74.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$2.54 JMD 401

9.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₡1,667

$3.08 JMD 487

19.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$0.65 JMD 103

72.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$0.97 JMD 154

156.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡736

$3.10 JMD 490

-47.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 ₡3,823

$6.14 JMD 969

37.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.30 JMD 206

20.77%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-23.05%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$24.9K JMD 3.9M

70.03%

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

$93.2 ₡42.1K

$115 JMD 18.1K

-18.95%

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

$36.05 ₡16.3K

$29.93 JMD 4,725

20.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.7K

$53.3 JMD 8,414

10.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.2K

$60.1 JMD 9,491

14.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.80 ₡11.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,544

$13.44 JMD 2,122

-41.59%

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

$996 ₡449.6K

$254 JMD 40.0K

292.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$8,331 JMD 1.3M

104.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.7K

$23.59 JMD 3,725

197.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.9K

$31.28 JMD 4,939

76.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

67.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.2K

$74.8 JMD 11.8K

75.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 ₡525.5K

$825 JMD 130.2K

41.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 ₡426.6K

$534 JMD 84.3K

77.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 ₡899.8K

$1,680 JMD 265.2K

18.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 ₡633.7K

$1,109 JMD 175.0K

26.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$2,675 JMD 422.4K

1.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 ₡921.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ₡456.3K

$726 JMD 114.7K

39.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-4.22%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saint Andrew Parish: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$945 44.9%

Saint Andrew Parish

$534 35.7% 43.5% $411

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 19%

Saint Andrew Parish

$342 22.9% 14.3% $57

Eating Out

San Jose

$232 11%

Saint Andrew Parish

$222 14.9% 4.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9%

Saint Andrew Parish

$198 13.3% 5.2% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$174 8.3%

Saint Andrew Parish

$93 6.2% 46.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$85 4%

Saint Andrew Parish

$87 5.8% 2.7% $2.3

Getting Around

San Jose

$82 3.9%

Saint Andrew Parish

$19 * 1.3% 76.7% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,164 in San Jose and $825 in Saint Andrew Parish. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Jose pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61 in San Jose vs $67 in Saint Andrew Parish. Groceries flip the comparison at $399 vs $342, with Saint Andrew Parish cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇯🇲 Saint Andrew Parish

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h ahead of San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

555,995

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.69 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Jose Saint Andrew Parish 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Saint Andrew Parish

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 Saint Andrew Parish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,105 in San Jose and $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish, so Saint Andrew Parish is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in San Jose, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,164 in San Jose versus $825 in Saint Andrew Parish. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $996 in San Jose versus $254 in Saint Andrew Parish. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Jose – a meal for two runs $61 versus $67 in Saint Andrew Parish. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,496 in Saint Andrew Parish versus $2,105 in San Jose, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saint Andrew Parish but tight or insufficient in San Jose. The gap between the two cities makes Saint Andrew Parish 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.

It comes down to priorities – Saint Andrew Parish wins on affordability, San Jose on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.