Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cave Valley and May Pen

For one person, living is cheaper in May Pen: $722 a month against $1,003 in Cave Valley, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Cave Valley despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Cave Valley
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Cave Valley Living Index

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Cave Valley

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,003

/mo nomad

May Pen

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cave Valley and in May Pen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,003 in Cave Valley versus $722 in May Pen.

Cave Valley $1,003
May Pen $722

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,661 in Cave Valley versus $818 in May Pen.

Cave Valley $1,661
May Pen $818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Cave Valley versus $914 in May Pen.

Cave Valley $2,318
May Pen $914

Living in Cave Valley is roughly 39% more expensive than in May Pen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cave Valley 26% lower, May Pen 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.51 JMD 2,130

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 JMD 1,328

Cappuccino

$5.34 JMD 843

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

$1.15 JMD 182

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 341

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 482

Milk (1 liter)

$4.16 JMD 656

$2.23 JMD 352

86.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 JMD 580

$3.69 JMD 583

-0.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 250

$3.12 JMD 492

-49.04%

Eggs

$3.63 JMD 572

$3.37 JMD 531

7.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.21 JMD 979

$7.67 JMD 1,209

-19.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 JMD 1,634

$5.10 JMD 804

103.14%

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 JMD 969

$1.60 JMD 253

284.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$4.93 JMD 777

-20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.51 JMD 1,185

$6.33 JMD 998

18.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 JMD 470

$1.85 JMD 291

61.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 520

$1.93 JMD 304

70.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 JMD 430

$1.93 JMD 304

41.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$3.08 JMD 485

-2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 JMD 237

$2.90 JMD 458

-48.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 JMD 1,458

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 JMD 1,818

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 438

$2.26 JMD 357

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 625

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 201

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 504

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.41 JMD 1,011

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 JMD 221

$1.41 JMD 223

-0.71%

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

$43.3K JMD 6.8M

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

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

$166 JMD 26.1K

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

$29.39 JMD 4,635

$42.49 JMD 6,701

-30.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 JMD 8,201

$53.7 JMD 8,463

-3.09%

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 JMD 2,070

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

$368 JMD 58.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,266 JMD 1.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.60 JMD 3,722

$15.88 JMD 2,503

48.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.02 JMD 4,891

$21.63 JMD 3,411

43.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 JMD 12.0K

$41.60 JMD 6,560

83.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$52.7 JMD 8,310

95.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 JMD 45.4K

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 Cave Valley: October 26, 2026

Last update for May Pen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cave Valley

$386 38.4%

May Pen

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cave Valley

$247 24.6%

May Pen

–

Eating Out

Cave Valley

$222 22.1%

May Pen

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cave Valley

$105 10.5%

May Pen

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cave Valley

$26 * 2.6%

May Pen

–

Getting Around

Cave Valley

$17 * 1.7%

May Pen

–

Accommodation & Living

Cave Valley

- * 0%

May Pen

–

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

Good to know

🇯🇲 Cave Valley

🇯🇲 May Pen

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

Same time as Cave Valley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,755

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cave Valley May Pen 110 km

From you

Cave Valley
May Pen

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

Cave Valley vs May Pen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cave Valley and May Pen differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,003 vs $722 including rent). May Pen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,505 in Cave Valley and $1,083 in May Pen 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Cave Valley. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,003 per month in Cave Valley versus $722 in May Pen – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $722 in May Pen versus $1,003 in Cave Valley, a $800 budget is realistic in May Pen but tight or insufficient in Cave Valley. The gap between the two cities makes May Pen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.