Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,044 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $49,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,044

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alexandria and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,044 in Alexandria versus $5,142 in New York, NY.

Alexandria $1,044
New York, NY $5,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,704 in Alexandria versus $7,455 in New York, NY.

Alexandria $1,704
New York, NY $7,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,364 in Alexandria versus $9,767 in New York, NY.

Alexandria $2,364
New York, NY $9,767

Living in Alexandria costs roughly 80% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandria is 22% below, New York, NY is 284% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.61 JMD 2,474

$26.46 $26.46

-41.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 JMD 12.1K

$119 $119

-35.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 JMD 1,386

$14.43 $14.43

-39.36%

Cappuccino

$5.28 JMD 837

$6.55 $6.55

-19.39%

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

$1.16 JMD 185

$3.84 $3.84

-69.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 107

$3.00 $3.00

-77.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 JMD 360

$8.27 $8.27

-72.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 509

$10.05 $10.05

-68.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.09 JMD 648

$1.31 $1.31

212.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 612

$4.90 $4.90

-21.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$7.16 $7.16

-77.79%

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 559

$5.92 $5.92

-40.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 JMD 1,833

$19.06 $19.06

-39.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 JMD 1,013

$17.38 $17.38

-63.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,632

$18.94 $18.94

-45.62%

Apples (1kg)

$6.22 JMD 986

$6.96 $6.96

-10.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 623

$2.08 $2.08

88.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.47 JMD 1,184

$6.10 $6.10

22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 477

$6.95 $6.95

-56.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 JMD 527

$3.98 $3.98

-16.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 JMD 410

$4.44 $4.44

-41.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 JMD 494

$2.81 $2.81

11.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 JMD 232

$2.51 $2.51

-41.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 JMD 1,544

$19.27 $19.27

-49.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.57 JMD 1,834

$19.67 $19.67

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 JMD 460

$3.08 $3.08

-5.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 JMD 645

$3.68 $3.68

10.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 JMD 186

$3.07 $3.07

-61.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 JMD 496

$2.13 $2.13

46.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 JMD 1,017

$41.21 $41.21

-84.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.11 $1.11

27.93%

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

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

$35.0K $35.0K

28.31%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$25.4K $25.4K

29.66%

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

$174 JMD 27.6K

$217 $217

-19.90%

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

$30.04 JMD 4,761

$74.0 $74.0

-59.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,395

$72.5 $72.5

-26.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 JMD 2,082

$22.32 $22.32

-41.13%

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

$359 JMD 56.9K

$3,425 $3,425

-89.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,225 JMD 1.3M

$61.2K $61.2K

-86.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.28 JMD 3,690

$76.3 $76.3

-69.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 JMD 4,991

$55.5 $55.5

-43.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.3K

$119 $119

-35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.2K

$131 $131

-21.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

6.82

38.56%

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 5, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$388 37.6%

New York, NY

$546 11% 40.7% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$257 24.9%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 41.5% $107

Eating Out

Alexandria

$240 23.2%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 76.2% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$105 10.2%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 62.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$26 * 2.5%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 528% $139

Getting Around

Alexandria

$17 * 1.6%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 883% $149

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

- * 0%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $77.0 in Alexandria vs $119 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $546 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

1 h ahead of Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,927

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria New York, NY 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria
New York, NY

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

Alexandria vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria and New York, NY differ by about 392% in total monthly costs ($1,044 vs $5,142 including rent). Alexandria is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,567 in Alexandria and $7,714 in New York, NY 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.

Childcare runs $359 in Alexandria versus $3,425 in New York, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Alexandria – a meal for two runs $77.0 versus $119 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,044 in Alexandria versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 392% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.