Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $1,775 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Spain outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in Spain

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

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Jamaica vs $1,775 in Spain, rent included.

Jamaica $1,472
Spain $1,775

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Jamaica vs $2,606 in Spain, rent included.

Jamaica $2,514
Spain $2,606

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jamaica vs $3,438 in Spain, rent included.

Jamaica $3,557
Spain $3,438

Cost ranges are similar: Jamaica spans $8–$1,677, Spain $931–$2,610. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Jamaica is roughly 17% lower than in Spain on average.

Both Jamaica and Spain are pricier than the global median – Jamaica by 8%, Spain by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$16.69 €14.95

-34.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$55.7 €49.88

37.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$11.37 €10.18

-26.39%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$2.42 €2.16

88.84%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$2.68 €2.40

-52.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$1.79 €1.60

-59.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$3.42 €3.07

-35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$3.88 €3.47

-3.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$1.20 €1.07

222.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$1.48 €1.33

119.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.67 €1.50

-1.80%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$3.42 €3.06

16.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$14.17 €12.69

-16.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$8.33 €7.46

-2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$16.20 €14.51

-45.43%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$2.45 €2.20

172.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$2.03 €1.82

78.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$2.08 €1.86

141.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$2.58 €2.31

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.83 €1.64

51.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$2.00 €1.79

28.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$1.31 €1.17

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$0.77 €0.69

76.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$6.36 €5.70

66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$5.64 €5.05

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.30 €1.17

113.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$2.09 €1.87

56.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$1.64 €1.47

-63.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$32.91 €29.48

13.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$4.43 €3.96

-79.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$1.47 €1.31

117.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$24.98 €22.38

-71.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.77 €1.59

-23.16%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$35.5K €31.8K

15.58%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$30.6K €27.4K

-4.76%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$149 €134

0.88%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$17.67 €15.83

53.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$31.88 €28.55

57.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$44.24 €39.62

23.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$15.29 €13.70

4.58%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$9.66 €8.65

35.71%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$544 €487

-38.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$10.6K €9,499

-52.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$84.9 €76.0

-65.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$37.11 €33.24

-21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$89.2 €79.9

-13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$106 €94.7

-13.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$1,056 €946

-23.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$808 €723

-45.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$1,621 €1,452

9.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$1,246 €1,116

-7.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$4,135 €3,704

8.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$2,633 €2,358

25.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$1,999 €1,790

-60.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

3.3

191.21%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for Spain: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

Spain

$808 45.5% 83% $366

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

Spain

$272 15.3% 26.5% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

Spain

$199 11.2% 12.8% $29

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

Spain

$239 13.5% 23.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

Spain

$143 8% 39.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

Spain

$64 3.6% 21.2% $17

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

Spain

$51 2.9% 9.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $654 in Jamaica vs $920 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $958 in Kingston and $1,508 in Madrid.

Average salary: $793 in Jamaica vs $1,972 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 41% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 26% more in Jamaica.

Public transport is 42% more expensive in Jamaica.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

6 h ahead of Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

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

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jamaica Spain 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
Spain

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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jamaica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 17% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Spain: a central one-bedroom averages $920 versus $654 in Jamaica.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Jamaica, but in Spain 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.