Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jamaica
Italy
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,472
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,472 in Jamaica versus $1,843 in Italy.

  • Jamaica $1,472
  • Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,514 in Jamaica versus $2,816 in Italy.

  • Jamaica $2,514
  • Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,557 in Jamaica versus $3,788 in Italy.

  • Jamaica $3,557
  • Italy $3,788

Jamaica ($8–$1,677) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Jamaica costs about 20% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Jamaica 8% above, Italy 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 JMD 1,732
$20.46 €18.32
-46.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.4 JMD 12.1K
$79.5 €71.2
-3.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.37 JMD 1,323
$11.15 €9.99
-24.93%
Cappuccino
$4.57 JMD 721
$2.04 €1.83
124.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 JMD 200
$3.10 €2.78
-59.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 JMD 114
$1.40 €1.25
-48.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 JMD 345
$5.51 €4.94
-60.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.74 JMD 590
$5.74 €5.14
-34.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.87 JMD 611
$1.57 €1.41
146.50%
White Bread (500g)
$3.25 JMD 514
$2.38 €2.13
36.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 JMD 259
$2.90 €2.60
-43.45%
Eggs
$3.98 JMD 629
$4.07 €3.65
-2.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.80 JMD 1,864
$17.44 €15.62
-32.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.16 JMD 1,289
$12.56 €11.25
-35.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.84 JMD 1,397
$20.17 €18.06
-56.17%
Apples (1kg)
$6.67 JMD 1,053
$2.58 €2.31
158.53%
Banana (1kg)
$3.62 JMD 572
$2.19 €1.96
65.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.03 JMD 794
$2.68 €2.40
87.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 JMD 408
$3.27 €2.93
-21.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.77 JMD 438
$1.90 €1.70
45.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.57 JMD 406
$1.82 €1.63
41.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.62 JMD 414
$1.57 €1.40
66.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 JMD 216
$0.55 €0.49
147.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.60 JMD 1,674
$6.69 €5.99
58.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.19 JMD 1,926
$7.99 €7.15
52.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.77 JMD 438
$1.77 €1.59
56.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 JMD 517
$2.35 €2.11
39.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 JMD 95.3
$1.91 €1.71
-68.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.31 JMD 5,895
$43.44 €38.90
-14.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.90 JMD 143
$5.62 €5.03
-83.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.19 JMD 504
$1.71 €1.54
86.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.04 JMD 1,112
$33.64 €30.12
-79.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 JMD 215
$2.03 €1.82
-33.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.1K JMD 6.5M
$35.3K €31.6K
16.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.2K JMD 4.6M
$36.7K €32.9K
-20.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 JMD 23.8K
$227 €203
-33.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.18 JMD 4,294
$11.59 €10.38
134.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.3 JMD 7,953
$30.38 €27.21
65.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.5 JMD 8,607
$51.8 €46.37
5.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.99 JMD 2,527
$23.70 €21.22
-32.53%
Cinema Ticket
$13.11 JMD 2,071
$10.60 €9.50
23.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$334 JMD 52.7K
$568 €508
-41.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,076 JMD 802.0K
$11.5K €10.3K
-55.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.04 JMD 4,588
$90.5 €81.1
-67.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.03 JMD 4,586
$38.55 €34.53
-24.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.8 JMD 12.1K
$103 €91.9
-25.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.8 JMD 14.5K
$131 €117
-29.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$810 JMD 128.0K
$826 €739
-1.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 JMD 69.7K
$646 €579
-31.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,782 JMD 281.5K
$1,400 €1,254
27.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,151 JMD 181.9K
$1,054 €944
9.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,486 JMD 708.7K
$3,662 €3,280
22.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,316 JMD 523.9K
$2,301 €2,061
44.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jamaica
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$789 JMD 124.6K
$1,886 €1,689
-58.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.61
3.56
169.94%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Jamaica
$441
Italy
$646 46.4% $205
Groceries & Markets
Jamaica
$370
Italy
$348 5.9% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jamaica
$228
Italy
$269 17.7% $40
Eating Out
Jamaica
$194
Italy
$279 43.6% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Jamaica
$102
Italy
$163 60% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Jamaica
$81
Italy
$73 9.6% $7.7
Getting Around
Jamaica
$57
Italy
$65 15.4% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $654 in Jamaica, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $958 in Kingston vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $793 in Jamaica, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 11% higher in Italy.

Salaries are about 2.4 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇯🇲 Jamaica
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
15:40 3:40 PM
21:40 9:40 PM
6 h ahead of Jamaica
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,697,983
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jamaica Italy 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jamaica
  • Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Jamaica?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,472 in Jamaica, Jamaica comes out about 20% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $654 in Jamaica. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Italy or to Jamaica?
It depends on what you’re after: Jamaica wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Jamaica vs other spots: cost of living compared

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