Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,693 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,693 in Kingston.

Austin, TX $2,689
Kingston $1,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,846 in Kingston.

Austin, TX $4,112
Kingston $2,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $3,998 in Kingston.

Austin, TX $5,534
Kingston $3,998

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 59% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 99% above, Kingston 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$15.53 JMD 2,451

37.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

16.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$8.06 JMD 1,271

54.34%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$5.26 JMD 830

6.46%

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

$3.65 $3.65

$1.14 JMD 180

220.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.70 JMD 111

241.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.05 JMD 324

281.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.10 JMD 490

182.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$4.04 JMD 638

-72.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.68 JMD 580

-1.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.56 JMD 246

124.36%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.59 JMD 567

23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$11.36 JMD 1,793

16.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$6.14 JMD 969

127.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$10.22 JMD 1,613

61.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$6.21 JMD 981

-23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$3.86 JMD 609

-61.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$7.13 JMD 1,125

-34.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.96 JMD 466

52.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.20 JMD 505

-20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.72 JMD 429

-12.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$3.12 JMD 492

-41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.50 JMD 236

42.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$9.25 JMD 1,460

8.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.30 JMD 1,784

31.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.87 JMD 453

-1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.93 JMD 621

-16.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.61 JMD 95.8

101.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

$38.17 JMD 6,023

8.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.40 JMD 378

11.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.21 JMD 507

-49.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$6.27 JMD 990

461.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 JMD 232

-33.33%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-22.45%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-18.40%

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

$252 $252

$171 JMD 27.0K

47.56%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$29.11 JMD 4,593

105.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$53.8 JMD 8,491

29.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$61.7 JMD 9,739

-2.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

$17.49 JMD 2,760

3.72%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$13.26 JMD 2,092

3.70%

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

$1,458 $1,458

$357 JMD 56.3K

308.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$17.4K JMD 2.7M

52.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$23.44 JMD 3,699

124.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$30.98 JMD 4,889

47.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$103 JMD 16.3K

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$951 JMD 150.0K

130.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$569 JMD 89.8K

123.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$2,099 JMD 331.1K

90.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$1,418 JMD 223.8K

69.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

$2,921 JMD 460.9K

152.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

$2,015 JMD 318.0K

47.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$726 JMD 114.6K

594.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

9.45

-27.83%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kingston: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Kingston

$569 33.6% 55.2% $700

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Kingston

$381 22.5% 6.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Kingston

$254 15% 33.5% $128

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Kingston

$235 13.9% 33.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 18.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Kingston

$88 5.2% 0.4% $0.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Kingston

$59 3.5% 3.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $951 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 6.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $76 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $381 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kingston 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kingston

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

Austin, TX vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 6.9 times higher, 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: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $951 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,689 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,693 in Kingston – Kingston is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kingston runs roughly 8% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,693 in Kingston versus $2,689 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston 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 Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.