Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $1,472 in Jamaica, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index

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🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in Mexico

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

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Jamaica vs $1,274 in Mexico, rent included.

Jamaica $1,472
Mexico $1,274

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Jamaica vs $2,010 in Mexico, rent included.

Jamaica $2,514
Mexico $2,010

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jamaica vs $2,746 in Mexico, rent included.

Jamaica $3,557
Mexico $2,746

Cost ranges are similar: Jamaica spans $8–$1,677, Mexico $730–$2,625. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Jamaica is about 16% higher than in Mexico on average.

Jamaica sits 8% above the global median, while Mexico is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$10.63 MX$200

3.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$43.29 MX$813

76.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$8.94 MX$168

-6.38%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$3.61 MX$67.7

26.59%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$1.48 MX$27.70

-14.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$1.00 MX$18.77

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$2.67 MX$50.0

-17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$4.37 MX$82.0

-14.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$1.59 MX$29.76

143.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$2.67 MX$50.2

21.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.68 MX$31.57

-2.38%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$2.52 MX$47.38

57.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$8.79 MX$165

34.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$7.97 MX$150

2.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$11.50 MX$216

-23.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$2.76 MX$51.7

141.67%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$1.52 MX$28.61

138.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$1.95 MX$36.70

157.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$1.97 MX$36.93

30.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.96 MX$36.84

41.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$2.03 MX$38.08

26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$1.43 MX$26.90

83.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$1.14 MX$21.39

19.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$4.52 MX$84.9

134.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$10.87 MX$204

12.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.77 MX$33.14

56.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$3.19 MX$59.9

2.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$0.62 MX$11.64

-3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$29.85 MX$560

24.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$2.66 MX$49.97

-66.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$2.72 MX$51.0

17.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$10.63 MX$200

-33.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.40 MX$26.24

-2.86%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$24.0K MX$450.0K

71.29%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$23.9K MX$449.0K

21.91%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$69.2 MX$1,299

117.69%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$23.51 MX$441

15.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$29.00 MX$544

73.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$34.74 MX$652

56.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$17.46 MX$328

-8.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$5.24 MX$98.5

150.19%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$261 MX$4,892

28.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$5,999 MX$112.6K

-15.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$55.8 MX$1,048

-47.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$41.58 MX$781

-30.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$96.3 MX$1,809

-20.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$90.1 MX$1,691

1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$713 MX$13.4K

13.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$477 MX$8,954

-7.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$1,358 MX$25.5K

31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$906 MX$17.0K

27.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$2,597 MX$48.7K

72.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$1,565 MX$29.4K

111.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$773 MX$14.5K

1.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

11.43

-15.92%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

Mexico

$477 37.4% 8.1% $36

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

Mexico

$267 21% 27.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

Mexico

$122 9.6% 46.7% $106

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

Mexico

$187 14.7% 3.5% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

Mexico

$128 10% 25.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

Mexico

$45 3.6% 44% $35

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

Mexico

$49 3.8% 14.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $654 in Jamaica vs $624 in Mexico. For reference, capital cities sit at $958 in Kingston and $1,113 in Mexico City.

Average salary: $793 in Jamaica vs $722 in Mexico. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 5% higher in Jamaica.

Dining out costs 67% more in Jamaica.

Public transport is 42% more expensive in Jamaica.

Salaries are 10% higher in Jamaica.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

1 h behind Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

124,777,324

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica Mexico 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
Mexico

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 Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 13% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Jamaica: a central one-bedroom averages $654 versus $624 in Mexico.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mexico – part of why living there is about 13% cheaper overall.

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