Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bull Bay and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Bull Bay: $905 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bull Bay
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Bull Bay Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Bull Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$905

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bull Bay 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 Bull Bay and in Kingston actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $905 per month in Bull Bay vs $1,668 in Kingston, rent included.

Bull Bay $905
Kingston $1,668

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Bull Bay vs $2,812 in Kingston, rent included.

Bull Bay $1,372
Kingston $2,812

A family of three spends $1,840 per month in Bull Bay vs $3,955 in Kingston, rent included.

Bull Bay $1,840
Kingston $3,955

Bull Bay is about 46% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bull Bay sits 33% below the global median, while Kingston is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 JMD 2,153

$13.29 JMD 2,099

2.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 JMD 11.7K

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.29 JMD 995

$8.14 JMD 1,285

-22.73%

Cappuccino

$1.61 JMD 254

$5.45 JMD 861

-70.46%

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

$0.95 JMD 150

$1.14 JMD 180

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 107

$0.72 JMD 115

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 JMD 358

$2.16 JMD 341

5.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 JMD 389

$3.11 JMD 491

-20.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.04 JMD 638

$4.19 JMD 661

-3.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 JMD 518

$3.78 JMD 598

-13.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 JMD 196

$1.61 JMD 254

-22.98%

Eggs

$3.58 JMD 565

$3.48 JMD 550

2.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.90 JMD 773

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-57.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 962

$6.35 JMD 1,003

-4.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.81 JMD 602

$10.40 JMD 1,644

-63.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 JMD 291

$6.05 JMD 957

-69.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 JMD 299

$3.82 JMD 604

-50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 JMD 343

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-70.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.97 JMD 154

$3.06 JMD 484

-68.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 JMD 155

$3.21 JMD 506

-69.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 250

$2.62 JMD 415

-39.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 JMD 182

$3.13 JMD 494

-63.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 JMD 161

$1.44 JMD 228

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 JMD 597

$9.48 JMD 1,498

-60.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.72 JMD 587

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-67.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 JMD 379

$2.86 JMD 453

-16.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 JMD 369

$3.88 JMD 613

-39.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 JMD 145

$0.75 JMD 119

21.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 JMD 154

$1.22 JMD 192

-19.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 JMD 503

$3.20 JMD 505

-0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 JMD 1,010

$6.31 JMD 996

1.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 JMD 221

$1.39 JMD 219

0.72%

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

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-2.08%

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

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-1.18%

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

$114 JMD 18.0K

$167 JMD 26.4K

-31.57%

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

$29.15 JMD 4,606

$29.86 JMD 4,717

-2.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.95 JMD 2,993

$53.4 JMD 8,443

-64.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.75 JMD 5,016

$61.9 JMD 9,787

-48.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 JMD 2,045

$13.15 JMD 2,078

-1.52%

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

$355 JMD 56.2K

$359 JMD 56.7K

-0.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,114 JMD 1.3M

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

-3.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.27 JMD 3,676

$23.75 JMD 3,752

-2.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.50 JMD 4,977

$31.13 JMD 4,918

1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 JMD 12.3K

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 15.9K

$100 JMD 15.9K

0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.0K

$975 JMD 154.0K

-77.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$159 JMD 25.1K

$563 JMD 89.0K

-71.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 JMD 116.1K

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 Bull Bay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bull Bay

$230 25.4%

Kingston

$384 23% 67% $154

Eating Out

Bull Bay

$170 18.8%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 29.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bull Bay

$162 17.9%

Kingston

$250 15% 54.2% $88

Accommodation & Living

Bull Bay

$159 17.6%

Kingston

$563 33.8% 254% $404

Clothing & Footwear

Bull Bay

$105 11.6%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bull Bay

$58 6.4%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 53.1% $31

Getting Around

Bull Bay

$21 * 2.3%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 180% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Bull Bay versus $975 in Kingston. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Bull Bay versus $74.0 in Kingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $384 – making Bull Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Bull Bay

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

Same time as Bull Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bull Bay
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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

Bull Bay vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $905 in Bull Bay, $1,668 in Kingston – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,357 per month in Bull Bay and $2,502 in Kingston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bull Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $905 in Bull Bay and $1,668 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 84%.

Kindergarten costs $355 per month in Bull Bay and $359 in Kingston. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bull Bay, where all-in costs run around $905, than in Kingston at $1,668. In Bull Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bull Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bull Bay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.