Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Bull Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Bull Bay: $901 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bull Bay
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Bull Bay Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Bull Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Bull Bay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kingston and in Bull Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,677 per month in Kingston vs $901 in Bull Bay, rent included.

Kingston $1,677
Bull Bay $901

A couple spends around $2,829 per month in Kingston vs $1,373 in Bull Bay, rent included.

Kingston $2,829
Bull Bay $1,373

A family of three spends $3,980 per month in Kingston vs $1,845 in Bull Bay, rent included.

Kingston $3,980
Bull Bay $1,845

Kingston costs about 86% more than Bull Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kingston sits 23% above the global median, while Bull Bay is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,180

$13.28 JMD 2,098

3.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

$75.8 JMD 12.0K

-0.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,312

$6.13 JMD 968

35.56%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 847

$1.55 JMD 245

245.81%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$0.99 JMD 156

20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$2.24 JMD 354

0.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 511

$2.48 JMD 391

30.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$4.02 JMD 635

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 610

$3.31 JMD 523

16.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.25 JMD 197

31.20%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$3.47 JMD 548

3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,824

$5.12 JMD 809

125.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 985

$6.39 JMD 1,010

-2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,615

$3.73 JMD 590

173.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$1.90 JMD 300

219.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 612

$1.87 JMD 295

106.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$2.25 JMD 356

222.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 489

$0.92 JMD 146

236.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 502

$0.91 JMD 144

249.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 423

$1.53 JMD 242

75.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$1.11 JMD 176

179.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 227

$1.02 JMD 162

40.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,474

$3.72 JMD 587

150.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,779

$3.73 JMD 589

201.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.46 JMD 388

12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 639

$2.46 JMD 388

64.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.5

$0.98 JMD 154

-37.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$0.97 JMD 154

31.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$3.17 JMD 500

1.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,006

$6.15 JMD 971

3.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.45 JMD 229

-2.07%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-0.31%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

1.45%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$112 JMD 17.7K

50.94%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,608

$29.01 JMD 4,583

0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,496

$18.76 JMD 2,963

186.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,742

$31.67 JMD 5,003

94.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,127

$13.42 JMD 2,121

0.30%

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

$363 JMD 57.4K

$358 JMD 56.6K

1.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,309 JMD 1.3M

0.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,695

$23.28 JMD 3,678

0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,956

$31.55 JMD 4,985

-0.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$103 JMD 16.2K

-0.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.3K

$217 JMD 34.2K

342.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.8K

$158 JMD 25.0K

254.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 450.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 327.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

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

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bull Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Bull Bay

$158 17.6% 71.8% $404

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Bull Bay

$232 25.8% 39.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Bull Bay

$160 17.8% 36.6% $92

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Bull Bay

$166 18.4% 26.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Bull Bay

$105 11.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Bull Bay

$59 6.5% 34% $30

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Bull Bay

$21 * 2.3% 64.3% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Kingston versus $217 in Bull Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75 in Kingston versus $76 in Bull Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $385 in Kingston vs $232 in Bull Bay – so Bull Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Bull Bay

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Bull Bay 14 km

From you

Kingston
Bull Bay

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

Kingston vs Bull Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,677 in Kingston, $901 in Bull Bay – Bull Bay comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,515 per month in Kingston and $1,352 in Bull Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bull Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $217 there versus $958 in Kingston.

Kindergarten costs $363 per month in Kingston and $358 in Bull Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,677 in Kingston and $901 in Bull Bay. That makes Bull Bay about 46% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bull Bay, where all-in costs run around $901, than in Kingston at $1,677. In Bull Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kingston has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $901 in Bull Bay to $1,677 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.