Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhahran and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,317 per month in Dhahran vs $1,668 in Kingston, rent included.

Dhahran $1,317
Kingston $1,668

A couple spends around $1,671 per month in Dhahran vs $2,812 in Kingston, rent included.

Dhahran $1,671
Kingston $2,812

A family of three spends $2,026 per month in Dhahran vs $3,955 in Kingston, rent included.

Dhahran $2,026
Kingston $3,955

Dhahran is about 21% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dhahran sits 2% below the global median, while Kingston is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.30 SAR 19.90

$13.29 JMD 2,099

-60.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.17 SAR 147

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

-46.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.35 SAR 23.81

$8.14 JMD 1,285

-21.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$4.01 SAR 15.03

$5.45 JMD 861

-26.42%

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

$0.74 SAR 2.76

$1.14 JMD 180

-35.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 SAR 0.70

$0.72 JMD 115

-73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 491

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

$4.19 JMD 661

-60.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 SAR 3.62

$3.78 JMD 598

-74.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.41

$1.61 JMD 254

22.36%

Eggs

$3.87 SAR 14.54

$3.48 JMD 550

11.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 SAR 32.23

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.92 SAR 40.97

$6.35 JMD 1,003

71.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$10.40 JMD 1,644

33.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 SAR 8.07

$6.05 JMD 957

-64.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.21

$3.82 JMD 604

-63.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.69

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-75.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

$3.06 JMD 484

-41.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$3.21 JMD 506

-53.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 SAR 3.61

$2.62 JMD 415

-63.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SAR 7.39

$3.13 JMD 494

-37.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 SAR 3.19

$1.44 JMD 228

-40.97%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 SAR 20.92

$9.48 JMD 1,498

-41.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,795

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 453

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 JMD 613

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 SAR 3.11

$0.75 JMD 119

10.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$1.22 JMD 192

11.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$3.20 JMD 505

1.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 SAR 35.73

$6.31 JMD 996

50.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.39 JMD 219

-53.24%

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

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

20.17%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-36.89%

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

$59.0 SAR 221

$167 JMD 26.4K

-64.62%

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

$42.19 SAR 158

$29.86 JMD 4,717

41.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 SAR 244

$53.4 JMD 8,443

21.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$195 SAR 731

$61.9 JMD 9,787

214.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$93.5 SAR 351

$17.61 JMD 2,782

431.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 SAR 39.62

$13.15 JMD 2,078

-19.70%

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

$65.3 SAR 245

$359 JMD 56.7K

-81.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

58.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 SAR 190

$23.75 JMD 3,752

112.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.79 SAR 157

$31.13 JMD 4,918

34.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 SAR 289

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 SAR 339

$100 JMD 15.9K

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 SAR 1,355

$975 JMD 154.0K

-62.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 SAR 1,700

$563 JMD 89.0K

-19.53%

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)

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

$735 JMD 116.1K

279.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

9.45

-52.38%

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

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dhahran

$453 34.4%

Kingston

$563 33.8% 24.3% $110

Groceries & Markets

Dhahran

$231 17.6%

Kingston

$384 23% 66.2% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Dhahran

$216 16.4%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 59.1% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhahran

$166 12.6%

Kingston

$250 15% 50.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Dhahran

$117 8.9%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 10.5% $12

Eating Out

Dhahran

$113 8.6%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 94.8% $107

Getting Around

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 175% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Dhahran 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.

Salaries run about 279% higher in Dhahran, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Dhahran versus $74.0 in Kingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $384 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

18:24 6:24 PM

8 h behind Dhahran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,521

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dhahran Kingston 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Dhahran
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

Dhahran vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston costs about 27% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,976 per month in Dhahran 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 Dhahran, 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 $1,317 in Dhahran and $1,668 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $65.3 per month in Dhahran and $359 in Kingston. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Kingston at $1,668. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dhahran. 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.