Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Golden Grove and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Golden Grove: $1,008 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Golden Grove
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Golden Grove Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Golden Grove

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,008

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Golden Grove versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Golden Grove $1,008
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,665 in Golden Grove versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Golden Grove $1,665
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,322 in Golden Grove versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Golden Grove $2,322
Kingston $3,980

Living in Golden Grove costs roughly 40% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Golden Grove is 26% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 JMD 2,174

$13.80 JMD 2,175

-0.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 JMD 11.8K

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 JMD 1,271

$8.31 JMD 1,310

-3.01%

Cappuccino

$5.45 JMD 859

$5.36 JMD 846

1.68%

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

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.19 JMD 188

-0.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 JMD 109

$0.74 JMD 116

-6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

$2.26 JMD 357

-4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$3.23 JMD 510

-0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.15 JMD 655

$4.23 JMD 667

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 JMD 586

$3.86 JMD 609

-3.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 246

$1.64 JMD 258

-4.88%

Eggs

$3.46 JMD 545

$3.59 JMD 565

-3.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 JMD 1,771

$11.55 JMD 1,821

-2.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 967

$6.23 JMD 983

-1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 JMD 1,598

$10.22 JMD 1,612

-0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 JMD 973

$6.07 JMD 957

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 JMD 603

$3.87 JMD 610

-1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 JMD 1,155

$7.25 JMD 1,144

0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 466

$3.10 JMD 488

-4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 JMD 497

$3.18 JMD 501

-0.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 411

$2.68 JMD 422

-2.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.14 JMD 496

$3.10 JMD 488

1.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 226

$1.43 JMD 226

0.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.30 JMD 1,467

$9.33 JMD 1,471

-0.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 JMD 1,771

$11.26 JMD 1,775

-0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.77 JMD 438

1.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 JMD 627

$4.04 JMD 637

-1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 201

$1.28 JMD 202

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 JMD 494

$3.22 JMD 508

-2.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$6.37 JMD 1,004

0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 JMD 228

$1.42 JMD 223

2.11%

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

$43.4K JMD 6.8M

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-1.24%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-0.47%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$170 JMD 26.7K

0.87%

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

$29.71 JMD 4,686

$29.16 JMD 4,599

1.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 JMD 8,379

$53.8 JMD 8,480

-1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,723

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,801

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 JMD 2,100

$13.46 JMD 2,123

-1.04%

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

$367 JMD 57.9K

$363 JMD 57.3K

1.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,099 JMD 1.3M

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

-3.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.46 JMD 3,700

$23.39 JMD 3,688

0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.03 JMD 5,052

$31.37 JMD 4,946

2.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 JMD 12.5K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 16.0K

$102 JMD 16.1K

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 449.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 326.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.3K

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 Golden Grove: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Golden Grove

$380 37.7%

Kingston

$385 23% 1.3% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Golden Grove

$254 25.2%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 0.6% $1.4

Eating Out

Golden Grove

$225 22.3%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Golden Grove

$106 10.5%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Golden Grove

$27 * 2.6%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 233% $62

Getting Around

Golden Grove

$17 * 1.7%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 242% $41

Accommodation & Living

Golden Grove

- * 0%

Kingston

$562 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $75 in Golden Grove vs $75 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $385 per month, with Golden Grove cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Golden Grove

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

Same time as Golden Grove

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,058

660,000 Capital

💱 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

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Golden Grove Kingston 55 km

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Golden Grove
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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

Golden Grove vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,008 in Golden Grove and $1,677 in Kingston, so Golden Grove is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,513 in Golden Grove and $2,515 in Kingston 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.

Childcare runs $367 in Golden Grove versus $363 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,008 per month in Golden Grove versus $1,677 in Kingston – Golden Grove is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Golden Grove gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.