Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jamaica and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

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🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jamaica and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,472 per month in Jamaica vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Jamaica $1,472
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $2,514 per month in Jamaica vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Jamaica $2,514
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $3,557 per month in Jamaica vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Jamaica $3,557
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Jamaica ($8–$1,677), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Jamaica is roughly 40% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both Jamaica and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – Jamaica by 8%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 JMD 1,732

$21.48 £16.05

-48.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

$85.7 £64.0

-10.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 JMD 1,323

$10.61 £7.93

-21.11%

Cappuccino

$4.57 JMD 721

$4.91 £3.67

-6.92%

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

$1.26 JMD 200

$2.66 £1.99

-52.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 114

$1.87 £1.39

-61.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$6.63 £4.95

-66.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 JMD 590

$6.84 £5.11

-45.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.87 JMD 611

$1.68 £1.26

130.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 JMD 514

$1.72 £1.28

88.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$2.17 £1.62

-24.42%

Eggs

$3.98 JMD 629

$4.00 £2.99

-0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 JMD 1,864

$9.42 £7.04

25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 JMD 1,289

$9.19 £6.86

-11.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 JMD 1,397

$14.77 £11.03

-40.15%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 JMD 1,053

$2.97 £2.21

124.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 JMD 572

$1.62 £1.21

123.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.03 JMD 794

$2.85 £2.13

76.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 408

$3.52 £2.63

-26.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.83 £1.37

51.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$1.61 £1.20

59.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 JMD 414

$1.25 £0.93

109.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 JMD 216

$1.66 £1.24

-18.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.60 JMD 1,674

$23.65 £17.66

-55.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 JMD 1,926

$10.50 £7.84

16.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.98 £2.23

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 JMD 517

$3.51 £2.62

-6.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JMD 95.3

$3.98 £2.97

-84.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.31 JMD 5,895

$107 £80.2

-65.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 JMD 143

$5.18 £3.87

-82.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$2.35 £1.75

35.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.04 JMD 1,112

$26.84 £20.04

-73.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.99 £1.48

-31.66%

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

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

$39.4K £29.5K

4.08%

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

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

$40.5K £30.2K

-27.99%

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

$151 JMD 23.8K

$327 £244

-53.97%

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

$27.18 JMD 4,294

$18.21 £13.60

49.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 JMD 7,953

$43.60 £32.56

15.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 JMD 8,607

$42.36 £31.63

28.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 JMD 2,527

$18.22 £13.61

-12.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 JMD 2,071

$13.85 £10.34

-5.34%

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

$334 JMD 52.7K

$1,868 £1,395

-82.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

$22.6K £16.9K

-77.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.04 JMD 4,588

$92.9 £69.4

-68.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.03 JMD 4,586

$45.92 £34.30

-36.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

$102 £75.9

-24.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

$102 £76.4

-10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 JMD 128.0K

$1,342 £1,003

-39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 JMD 69.7K

$1,073 £802

-58.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

$2,231 £1,667

-20.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

$1,742 £1,301

-33.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

$5,601 £4,183

-19.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

$4,265 £3,185

-22.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$789 JMD 124.6K

$3,349 £2,502

-76.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.61

5.32

80.64%

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

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jamaica

$441 30%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 143% $632

Groceries & Markets

Jamaica

$370 25.1%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 16.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jamaica

$228 15.5%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 70.5% $161

Eating Out

Jamaica

$194 13.2%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 68.9% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Jamaica

$102 6.9%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 51.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Jamaica

$81 5.5%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 13.2% $11

Getting Around

Jamaica

$57 3.8%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 148% $84

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $654 in Jamaica vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $958 in Kingston and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $793 in Jamaica vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 97% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 15% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 130% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 4.1 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

12:16 12:16 PM

5 h ahead of Jamaica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,697,983

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jamaica United Kingdom 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Jamaica
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jamaica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 40% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $654 in Jamaica.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Jamaica, but in the United Kingdom 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.