Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,472 in Jamaica, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,472 in Jamaica versus $791 in China.

Jamaica $1,472
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,514 in Jamaica versus $1,251 in China.

Jamaica $2,514
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,557 in Jamaica versus $1,711 in China.

Jamaica $3,557
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Jamaica: monthly costs span $8 to $1,677, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Jamaica.

Living in Jamaica is roughly 86% more expensive than in China on average.

Jamaica (8% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$2.98 ¥19.81

268.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$22.09 ¥147

245.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$5.20 ¥34.60

60.96%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$2.97 ¥19.74

53.87%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$0.48 ¥3.19

162.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$0.30 ¥2.01

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$1.08 ¥7.18

102.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$2.28 ¥15.15

64.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$1.80 ¥11.96

115.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$1.68 ¥11.15

93.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$0.92 ¥6.13

78.26%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$1.61 ¥10.73

147.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$13.38 ¥89.0

-11.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$3.35 ¥22.28

143.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$11.35 ¥75.5

-22.11%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$1.82 ¥12.12

266.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$1.31 ¥8.69

176.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$1.49 ¥9.89

237.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$1.27 ¥8.47

103.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$0.71 ¥4.73

290.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$0.93 ¥6.21

176.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$0.62 ¥4.12

322.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$0.56 ¥3.74

142.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$3.78 ¥25.15

180.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$12.13 ¥80.7

0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$0.83 ¥5.54

233.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$1.68 ¥11.21

94.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$0.29 ¥1.91

106.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$17.83 ¥119

109.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.49 ¥9.89

-39.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$0.37 ¥2.49

762.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$7.10 ¥47.23

-0.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.26 ¥8.37

7.94%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

111.14%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

66.25%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$54.6 ¥363

176.03%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$8.73 ¥58.1

211.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$11.07 ¥73.6

354.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$40.77 ¥271

33.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$14.48 ¥96.4

10.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$6.78 ¥45.12

93.36%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$517 ¥3,437

-35.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-74.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$46.53 ¥310

-37.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$35.66 ¥237

-18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$77.0 ¥512

-0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$80.3 ¥534

14.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$386 ¥2,567

109.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$235 ¥1,561

88.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$822 ¥5,469

116.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$453 ¥3,015

154.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-4.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

39.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$1,093 ¥7,274

-27.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

3.46

177.75%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

China

$235 29.6% 46.9% $207

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

China

$210 26.5% 43.2% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

China

$74 9.4% 67.4% $154

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

China

$88 11.1% 54.6% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

China

$108 13.6% 5.6% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

China

$54 6.9% 32.7% $26

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

China

$22 2.8% 60.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $654 in Jamaica, $298 in China. Capital cities: $958 in Kingston vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $793 in Jamaica, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 119% higher in Jamaica.

Dining out costs 227% more in Jamaica.

Public transport is 144% more expensive in Jamaica.

Salaries are 10% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

18:20 6:20 PM

07:20 7:20 AM

13 h ahead of Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica China 13,440 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,472 in Jamaica, China comes out about 46% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $654 in Jamaica and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.