Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Jamaica

Name: Jamaica
Address: JM

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Jamaica

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

A single person spends $2,626 per month in Australia vs $1,472 in Jamaica, rent included.

Australia $2,626
Jamaica $1,472

A couple spends around $3,810 per month in Australia vs $2,514 in Jamaica, rent included.

Australia $3,810
Jamaica $2,514

A family of three spends $4,994 per month in Australia vs $3,557 in Jamaica, rent included.

Australia $4,994
Jamaica $3,557

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Jamaica ($8–$1,677), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 78% higher than in Jamaica on average.

Both Australia and Jamaica are pricier than the global median – Australia by 93%, Jamaica by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.08

$10.97 JMD 1,732

60.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 A$121

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

11.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.76

$8.37 JMD 1,323

32.50%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.54

$4.57 JMD 721

-14.66%

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

$2.85 A$4.05

$1.26 JMD 200

126.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.72 JMD 114

220.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 A$10.70

$2.19 JMD 345

243.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.59 A$12.20

$3.74 JMD 590

129.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$3.87 JMD 611

-54.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 A$3.99

$3.25 JMD 514

-13.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.19

$1.64 JMD 259

36.59%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.14

$3.98 JMD 629

26.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.02

$11.80 JMD 1,864

-16.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.24

$8.16 JMD 1,289

14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.13

$8.84 JMD 1,397

68.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.82 A$5.42

$6.67 JMD 1,053

-42.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.16

$3.62 JMD 572

-19.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.46

$5.03 JMD 794

-37.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 A$6.83

$2.58 JMD 408

86.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.77 JMD 438

1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$2.57 JMD 406

-7.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.37

$2.62 JMD 414

-9.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.36 JMD 216

21.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.13 A$55.6

$10.60 JMD 1,674

269.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$19.80

$12.19 JMD 1,926

14.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.05

$2.77 JMD 438

79.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$3.27 JMD 517

58.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.60 JMD 95.3

303.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$37.31 JMD 5,895

153.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 A$4.97

$0.90 JMD 143

287.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$3.19 JMD 504

-49.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.84 A$56.6

$7.04 JMD 1,112

465.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.36 JMD 215

2.21%

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

$30.0K A$42.7K

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

-26.92%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

-11.67%

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

$205 A$291

$151 JMD 23.8K

36.15%

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

$28.33 A$40.27

$27.18 JMD 4,294

4.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 A$83.5

$50.3 JMD 7,953

16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.1

$54.5 JMD 8,607

2.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.57 A$27.82

$15.99 JMD 2,527

22.39%

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 A$21.86

$13.11 JMD 2,071

17.32%

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

$2,145 A$3,049

$334 JMD 52.7K

542.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

261.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$29.04 JMD 4,588

169.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.0

$29.03 JMD 4,586

93.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

49.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

34.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 A$2,261

$810 JMD 128.0K

96.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,837

$441 JMD 69.7K

192.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,524 A$3,588

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

41.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 A$2,850

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

74.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,751 A$12.4K

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

95.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,260 A$8,898

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

88.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 A$5,663

$789 JMD 124.6K

405.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

9.61

-38.29%

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

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 49.2%

Jamaica

$441 30% 65.9% $851

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$374 14.3%

Jamaica

$370 25.1% 1.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Australia

$297 11.3%

Jamaica

$194 13.2% 34.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$292 11.1%

Jamaica

$228 15.5% 21.9% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$168 6.4%

Jamaica

$102 6.9% 39.2% $66

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.4%

Jamaica

$57 3.8% 51.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$86 3.3%

Jamaica

$81 5.5% 6.6% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,383 in Australia vs $654 in Jamaica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,749 in Canberra and $958 in Kingston.

Average salary: $3,874 in Australia vs $793 in Jamaica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 111% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 17% more in Australia.

Public transport is 91% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 4.9 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

16 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

2,697,983

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Jamaica 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Jamaica

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

Australia vs Jamaica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jamaica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 44% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $654 in Jamaica.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Jamaica – part of why living there is about 44% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Jamaica, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Jamaica is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.