Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in Australia

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

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Jamaica vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Jamaica $1,472
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Jamaica vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Jamaica $2,514
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jamaica vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Jamaica $3,557
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Jamaica ($8–$1,677), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Jamaica is roughly 44% lower than in Australia on average.

Both Jamaica and Australia are pricier than the global median – Jamaica by 8%, Australia by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$17.65 A$25.08

-37.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$85.2 A$121

-10.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$11.09 A$15.76

-24.53%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$3.90 A$5.54

17.18%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$2.85 A$4.05

-55.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$2.31 A$3.29

-68.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$7.53 A$10.70

-70.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$8.59 A$12.20

-56.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$1.76 A$2.50

119.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$2.81 A$3.99

15.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$2.24 A$3.19

-26.79%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$5.02 A$7.14

-20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$9.87 A$14.02

19.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$9.32 A$13.24

-12.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$14.86 A$21.13

-40.51%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$3.82 A$5.42

74.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$2.92 A$4.16

23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$3.13 A$4.46

60.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$4.81 A$6.83

-46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.80 A$3.98

-1.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$2.38 A$3.38

7.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$2.37 A$3.37

10.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$1.65 A$2.35

-17.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$39.13 A$55.6

-72.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$13.93 A$19.80

-12.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$4.96 A$7.05

-44.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$5.17 A$7.35

-36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$2.42 A$3.44

-75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$94.6 A$134

-60.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$3.49 A$4.97

-74.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$1.60 A$2.27

99.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$39.84 A$56.6

-82.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.39 A$1.97

-2.16%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$30.0K A$42.7K

36.83%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$25.8K A$36.6K

13.21%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$205 A$291

-26.55%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$28.33 A$40.27

-4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$58.8 A$83.5

-14.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$55.7 A$79.1

-2.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$19.57 A$27.82

-18.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$15.38 A$21.86

-14.76%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$2,145 A$3,049

-84.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$18.3K A$26.1K

-72.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$78.3 A$111

-62.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$56.3 A$80.0

-48.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$115 A$164

-33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$123 A$175

-25.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$1,591 A$2,261

-49.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$1,293 A$1,837

-65.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$2,524 A$3,588

-29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$2,005 A$2,850

-42.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-48.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$6,260 A$8,898

-47.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$3,984 A$5,663

-80.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

5.93

62.06%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 193% $851

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

Australia

$374 14.3% 1.3% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

Australia

$292 11.1% 28.1% $64

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

Australia

$297 11.3% 52.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

Australia

$168 6.4% 64.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

Australia

$86 3.3% 7.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

Australia

$116 4.4% 105% $59

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $654 in Jamaica vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $958 in Kingston and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $793 in Jamaica vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 111% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 17% more in Australia.

Public transport is 91% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 4.9 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

16 h ahead of Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica Australia 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
Australia

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

Jamaica vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jamaica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 44% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $654 in Jamaica.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Jamaica – part of why living there is about 44% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Jamaica, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Jamaica is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.