Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, Jamaica and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $1,006 a month against $1,250 in Portmore, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria and in Portmore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Alexandria versus $1,250 in Portmore.

Alexandria $1,006
Portmore $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,667 in Alexandria versus $2,081 in Portmore.

Alexandria $1,667
Portmore $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,327 in Alexandria versus $2,912 in Portmore.

Alexandria $2,327
Portmore $2,912

Living in Alexandria costs roughly 19% less than in Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Alexandria 26% lower, Portmore 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.76 JMD 2,173

$10.11 JMD 1,598

36.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 JMD 12.1K

$63.1 JMD 9,975

20.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 JMD 1,328

$7.99 JMD 1,262

5.26%

Cappuccino

$5.18 JMD 818

$5.27 JMD 833

-1.71%

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

$1.15 JMD 182

$0.93 JMD 147

23.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 112

$0.61 JMD 96.6

16.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 JMD 355

$2.18 JMD 345

2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 JMD 494

$2.18 JMD 345

43.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.21 JMD 665

$3.18 JMD 502

32.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 596

$3.64 JMD 575

3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 JMD 245

$1.03 JMD 163

50.49%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 549

$3.44 JMD 544

1.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,789

$11.29 JMD 1,784

0.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 JMD 998

$6.22 JMD 982

1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 JMD 1,621

$9.49 JMD 1,499

8.11%

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 JMD 972

$5.88 JMD 929

4.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$3.94 JMD 622

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.26 JMD 1,146

$3.01 JMD 476

141.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 JMD 467

$3.02 JMD 477

-2.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 JMD 526

$3.22 JMD 509

3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$2.57 JMD 406

2.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.55 JMD 245

94.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.25 JMD 197

16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 JMD 1,527

$9.49 JMD 1,499

1.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 JMD 1,761

$11.46 JMD 1,811

-2.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 JMD 465

$2.87 JMD 454

2.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 JMD 627

$2.16 JMD 342

83.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 JMD 355

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 JMD 7,917

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 196

$0.92 JMD 145

34.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$3.13 JMD 494

1.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 JMD 982

$6.44 JMD 1,017

-3.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 231

$1.26 JMD 200

15.87%

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

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-1.10%

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

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

1.52%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$160 JMD 25.2K

6.37%

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

$29.37 JMD 4,641

$28.89 JMD 4,564

1.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 JMD 8,434

$52.8 JMD 8,346

1.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 JMD 9,273

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 JMD 2,068

$13.47 JMD 2,129

-2.82%

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

$365 JMD 57.7K

$281 JMD 44.4K

29.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,251 JMD 1.3M

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

161.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.63 JMD 3,734

$23.28 JMD 3,677

1.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.87 JMD 4,877

$31.19 JMD 4,928

-1.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 JMD 12.1K

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

-0.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 16.0K

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

5.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 JMD 49.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 JMD 34.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 JMD 105.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 JMD 95.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$383 38.1%

Portmore

$337 27% 12% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$253 25.1%

Portmore

$241 19.3% 4.4% $11

Eating Out

Alexandria

$222 22.1%

Portmore

$190 15.2% 14.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$105 10.4%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 2.2% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$26 * 2.6%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 227% $59

Getting Around

Alexandria

$17 * 1.7%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 343% $59

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

- * 0%

Portmore

$218 17.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $76 in Alexandria vs $63 in Portmore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $337 per month, with Portmore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

12:34 12:34 PM

Same time as Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,927

170,000

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria Portmore 63 km

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Alexandria
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,006 in Alexandria and $1,250 in Portmore, so Alexandria is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,509 in Alexandria and $1,875 in Portmore 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 $365 in Alexandria versus $281 in Portmore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Portmore – a meal for two runs $63 versus $76 in Alexandria. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Alexandria gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.