Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and Brazil

Name: Brazil
Address: BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,472 in Jamaica, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index

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🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in Brazil

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 Brazil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Jamaica vs $865 in Brazil, rent included.

Jamaica $1,472
Brazil $865

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Jamaica vs $1,373 in Brazil, rent included.

Jamaica $2,514
Brazil $1,373

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jamaica vs $1,880 in Brazil, rent included.

Jamaica $3,557
Brazil $1,880

The regional cost range is wider in Jamaica ($8–$1,677) than in Brazil ($569–$1,349), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Jamaica is about 70% higher than in Brazil on average.

Jamaica sits 8% above the global median, while Brazil is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$6.55 R$35.66

67.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$30.71 R$167

148.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$7.45 R$40.55

12.35%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$1.91 R$10.39

139.27%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$1.15 R$6.28

9.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$0.76 R$4.11

-5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$1.85 R$10.06

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$2.86 R$15.54

30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$1.03 R$5.61

275.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$1.57 R$8.52

107.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.24 R$6.72

32.26%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$2.10 R$11.44

89.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$8.87 R$48.24

33.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$3.99 R$21.72

104.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$7.76 R$42.19

13.92%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$2.15 R$11.72

210.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$1.27 R$6.91

185.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$1.16 R$6.28

333.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$1.53 R$8.32

68.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.16 R$6.32

138.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$1.02 R$5.55

151.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$0.74 R$4.04

254.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$0.72 R$3.90

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$2.25 R$12.26

371.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$7.65 R$41.62

59.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.30 R$7.09

113.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$2.16 R$11.77

51.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$0.94 R$5.12

-36.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$44.00 R$239

-15.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.23 R$6.68

-26.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$0.96 R$5.20

232.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$7.42 R$40.36

-5.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.21 R$6.60

12.40%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$22.1K R$120.5K

85.39%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$31.6K R$171.7K

-7.63%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$77.2 R$420

95.13%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$12.44 R$67.6

118.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$19.80 R$108

154.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$24.36 R$133

123.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$25.46 R$138

-37.20%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$6.98 R$37.99

87.82%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$316 R$1,718

5.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$8,298 R$45.1K

-38.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$49.37 R$269

-41.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$45.73 R$249

-36.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$83.4 R$454

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$65.6 R$357

39.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$373 R$2,029

117.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$251 R$1,363

76.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$719 R$3,911

147.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$490 R$2,667

134.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$1,795 R$9,764

149.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$1,269 R$6,904

161.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$496 R$2,701

58.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

11.17

-13.97%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

Brazil

$251 29% 43.2% $191

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

Brazil

$183 21.2% 50.5% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

Brazil

$109 12.6% 52% $119

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

Brazil

$120 13.9% 38% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

Brazil

$110 12.7% 7.7% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

Brazil

$38 4.4% 52.5% $42

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

Brazil

$54 6.2% 5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $654 in Jamaica vs $335 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $958 in Kingston and $517 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $793 in Jamaica vs $468 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 95% higher in Jamaica.

Dining out costs 148% more in Jamaica.

Salaries are 69% higher in Jamaica.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇧🇷 Brazil

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

23:55 11:55 PM

2 h ahead of Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

203,062,512

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

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

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica Brazil 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
Brazil

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 Brazil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Jamaica: a central one-bedroom averages $654 versus $335 in Brazil.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Brazil – part of why living there is about 41% cheaper overall.

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