Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Cave Valley

For one person, living is cheaper in Cave Valley: $1,003 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Cave Valley
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Cave Valley Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Cave Valley

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Cave Valley

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,003 in Cave Valley.

Kingston $1,677
Cave Valley $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,661 in Cave Valley.

Kingston $2,829
Cave Valley $1,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,318 in Cave Valley.

Kingston $3,980
Cave Valley $2,318

Living in Kingston is roughly 67% more expensive than in Cave Valley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Cave Valley is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$13.51 JMD 2,130

2.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

1.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$8.42 JMD 1,328

-1.31%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$5.34 JMD 843

0.37%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.15 JMD 182

3.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.17 JMD 341

4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.06 JMD 482

5.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$4.16 JMD 656

1.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.68 JMD 580

4.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.59 JMD 250

3.14%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.63 JMD 572

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.21 JMD 979

0.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.36 JMD 1,634

-1.35%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$6.15 JMD 969

-1.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.93 JMD 620

-1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.51 JMD 1,185

-3.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.98 JMD 470

4.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.30 JMD 520

-3.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.73 JMD 430

-1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.01 JMD 475

2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.50 JMD 237

-4.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.25 JMD 1,458

0.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.53 JMD 1,818

-2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.78 JMD 438

-0.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$3.96 JMD 625

2.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 202

$1.28 JMD 201

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.20 JMD 504

0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.41 JMD 1,011

-0.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.40 JMD 221

1.43%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.3K JMD 6.8M

1.46%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

1.42%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$166 JMD 26.1K

2.43%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$29.39 JMD 4,635

-0.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$52.0 JMD 8,201

3.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,723

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,801

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,123

$13.12 JMD 2,070

2.59%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$368 JMD 58.0K

-1.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,266 JMD 1.3M

1.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.60 JMD 3,722

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$31.02 JMD 4,891

1.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$76.3 JMD 12.0K

1.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 449.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 326.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.3K

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 Cave Valley: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Cave Valley

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Cave Valley

$386 38.4% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Cave Valley

$247 24.6% 2.2% $5.6

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Cave Valley

$222 22.1% 1.4% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Cave Valley

$105 10.5% 0% $0

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Cave Valley

$26 * 2.6% 70.4% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Cave Valley

$17 * 1.7% 70.2% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $74 in Cave Valley. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $386, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Cave Valley

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kingston Cave Valley 160 km

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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 Cave Valley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston and Cave Valley differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,677 vs $1,003 including rent). Cave Valley is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,505 in Cave Valley to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $363 in Kingston versus $368 in Cave Valley. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $1,003 in Cave Valley – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cave Valley gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.