Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gordon Town and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Gordon Town: $1,002 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Gordon Town
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Gordon Town Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,002 per month in Gordon Town vs $1,668 in Kingston, rent included.

Gordon Town $1,002
Kingston $1,668

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Gordon Town vs $2,812 in Kingston, rent included.

Gordon Town $1,657
Kingston $2,812

A family of three spends $2,311 per month in Gordon Town vs $3,955 in Kingston, rent included.

Gordon Town $2,311
Kingston $3,955

Gordon Town is about 40% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Gordon Town sits 26% below the global median, while Kingston is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.39 JMD 2,116

$13.29 JMD 2,099

0.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 JMD 1,269

$8.14 JMD 1,285

-1.35%

Cappuccino

$5.17 JMD 817

$5.45 JMD 861

-5.14%

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

$1.20 JMD 189

$1.14 JMD 180

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$0.72 JMD 115

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$2.16 JMD 341

1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$3.11 JMD 491

3.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.24 JMD 670

$4.19 JMD 661

1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 JMD 588

$3.78 JMD 598

-1.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$1.61 JMD 254

1.24%

Eggs

$3.45 JMD 545

$3.48 JMD 550

-0.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,790

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-0.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,001

$6.35 JMD 1,003

-0.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.27 JMD 1,622

$10.40 JMD 1,644

-1.25%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 JMD 955

$6.05 JMD 957

Banana (1kg)

$3.97 JMD 627

$3.82 JMD 604

3.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.20 JMD 1,138

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-0.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 JMD 491

$3.06 JMD 484

1.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 JMD 513

$3.21 JMD 506

1.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$2.62 JMD 415

3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 490

$3.13 JMD 494

-0.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 238

$1.44 JMD 228

4.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.63 JMD 1,521

$9.48 JMD 1,498

1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 JMD 1,771

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 452

$2.86 JMD 453

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 JMD 643

$3.88 JMD 613

4.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 JMD 119

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 JMD 185

$1.22 JMD 192

-4.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 JMD 507

$3.20 JMD 505

0.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.22 JMD 983

$6.31 JMD 996

-1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 230

$1.39 JMD 219

5.04%

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

$43.8K JMD 6.9M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-1.16%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

0.46%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$167 JMD 26.4K

1.50%

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

$29.50 JMD 4,660

$29.86 JMD 4,717

-1.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.6 JMD 8,148

$53.4 JMD 8,443

-3.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 JMD 9,787

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 JMD 2,047

$13.15 JMD 2,078

-1.44%

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

$366 JMD 57.8K

$359 JMD 56.7K

1.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,205 JMD 1.3M

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

-2.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.45 JMD 3,704

$23.75 JMD 3,752

-1.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.21 JMD 4,931

$31.13 JMD 4,918

0.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

-1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$100 JMD 15.9K

2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 JMD 154.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 89.0K

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 Gordon Town: 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

Gordon Town

$385 38.4%

Kingston

$384 23% 0.3% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gordon Town

$250 25%

Kingston

$250 15% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Gordon Town

$218 21.8%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 1.1% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Gordon Town

$105 10.5%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 241% $62

Getting Around

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 234% $40

Accommodation & Living

Gordon Town

- * 0%

Kingston

$563 33.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Gordon Town versus $74.0 in Kingston. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Gordon Town vs $384 in Kingston – so Kingston wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Gordon Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,088

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

On the map

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Between locations

Gordon Town Kingston 11 km

From you

Gordon Town
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

Gordon Town vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kingston is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,503 per month in Gordon Town and $2,502 in Kingston. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Gordon Town and $74.0 in Kingston. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Kingston – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gordon Town, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Kingston at $1,668. In Gordon Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gordon Town – 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 Gordon Town. 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.