Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Cheongju versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Cheongju $1,409
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,329 in Cheongju versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Cheongju $2,329
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Cheongju versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Cheongju $3,249
Kingston $3,980

Living in Cheongju costs roughly 16% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheongju 4% above, Kingston 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ₩10.0K

$13.80 JMD 2,175

-45.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.95 ₩65.7K

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-34.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 ₩7,898

$8.31 JMD 1,310

-29.24%

Cappuccino

$3.66 ₩4,909

$5.36 JMD 846

-31.72%

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

$1.84 ₩2,476

$1.19 JMD 188

54.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,874

$0.74 JMD 116

89.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,906

$2.26 JMD 357

61.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,816

$3.23 JMD 510

34.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩3,026

$4.23 JMD 667

-46.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,370

$3.86 JMD 609

-15.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,102

$1.64 JMD 258

85.98%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,672

$3.59 JMD 565

-23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 ₩15.0K

$11.55 JMD 1,821

-3.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 ₩14.3K

$6.23 JMD 983

70.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩33.0K

$10.22 JMD 1,612

140.22%

Apples (1kg)

$11.40 ₩15.3K

$6.07 JMD 957

87.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,819

$3.87 JMD 610

-7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.1K

$7.25 JMD 1,144

14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,855

$3.10 JMD 488

88.71%

Potato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,842

$3.18 JMD 501

83.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,602

$2.68 JMD 422

27.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,854

$3.10 JMD 488

-7.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,779

$1.43 JMD 226

-6.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,627

$9.33 JMD 1,471

-63.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.71 ₩25.1K

$11.26 JMD 1,775

66.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₩3,303

$2.77 JMD 438

-11.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ₩4,572

$4.04 JMD 637

-15.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,538

$0.61 JMD 96.3

88.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,701

$1.28 JMD 202

173.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₩1,021

$3.22 JMD 508

-76.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 ₩22.4K

$6.37 JMD 1,004

161.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,823

$1.42 JMD 223

-4.23%

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

$39.0K ₩52.4M

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-11.18%

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

$33.7K ₩45.3M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

2.95%

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

$205 ₩275.0K

$170 JMD 26.7K

20.79%

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

$24.30 ₩32.6K

$29.16 JMD 4,599

-16.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.72 ₩37.2K

$53.8 JMD 8,480

-48.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ₩71.9K

$61.7 JMD 9,723

-13.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ₩18.8K

$17.76 JMD 2,801

-21.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ₩15.9K

$13.46 JMD 2,123

-12.26%

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

$651 ₩873.5K

$363 JMD 57.3K

79.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.3M

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

160.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.84 ₩49.5K

$23.39 JMD 3,688

57.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ₩87.8K

$31.37 JMD 4,946

108.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩126.0K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

21.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩152.1K

$102 JMD 16.1K

11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ₩459.8K

$958 JMD 151.0K

-64.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₩369.7K

$562 JMD 88.6K

-51.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 ₩1.6M

$2,100 JMD 331.2K

-43.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₩1.0M

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

-46.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,228 ₩9.7M

$2,849 JMD 449.3K

153.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,619 ₩7.5M

$2,072 JMD 326.8K

171.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,613 ₩3.5M

$750 JMD 118.3K

248.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

9.45

-55.34%

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

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheongju

$488 34.6%

Kingston

$385 23% 21% $103

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$275 19.5%

Kingston

$562 33.5% 104% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$257 18.2%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 1.7% $4.3

Eating Out

Cheongju

$161 11.4%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 39.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$139 9.9%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 24.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 14.8% $11

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 388% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Cheongju and $958 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 3.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Cheongju vs $75 in Kingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $385, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

14 h behind Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cheongju Kingston 13,430 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
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

Cheongju vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cheongju is about 3.5 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: $342 in Cheongju versus $958 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $651 in Cheongju versus $363 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cheongju – a meal for two runs $49 versus $75 in Kingston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.