Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhahran: $1,317 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
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Dhahran Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Dhahran

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

A single person spends $1,668 per month in Kingston vs $1,317 in Dhahran, rent included.

Kingston $1,668
Dhahran $1,317

A couple spends around $2,812 per month in Kingston vs $1,671 in Dhahran, rent included.

Kingston $2,812
Dhahran $1,671

A family of three spends $3,955 per month in Kingston vs $2,026 in Dhahran, rent included.

Kingston $3,955
Dhahran $2,026

Kingston costs about 27% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kingston sits 24% above the global median, while Dhahran is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 JMD 2,099

$5.30 SAR 19.90

150.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

$39.17 SAR 147

88.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 JMD 1,285

$6.35 SAR 23.81

28.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 SAR 5.96

Cappuccino

$5.45 JMD 861

$4.01 SAR 15.03

35.91%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$0.74 SAR 2.76

54.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 115

$0.19 SAR 0.70

278.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 491

Milk (1 liter)

$4.19 JMD 661

$1.65 SAR 6.18

153.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 JMD 598

$0.97 SAR 3.62

289.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 254

$1.97 SAR 7.41

-18.27%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$3.87 SAR 14.54

-10.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 JMD 1,801

$8.59 SAR 32.23

32.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 JMD 1,003

$10.92 SAR 40.97

-41.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 JMD 1,644

$13.89 SAR 52.1

-25.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 JMD 957

$2.15 SAR 8.07

181.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 604

$1.39 SAR 5.21

174.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$1.78 SAR 6.69

307.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$1.80 SAR 6.74

70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 JMD 506

$1.50 SAR 5.61

114.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 415

$0.96 SAR 3.61

172.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 494

$1.97 SAR 7.39

58.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 228

$0.85 SAR 3.19

69.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.81 SAR 18.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 SAR 9.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 JMD 1,498

$5.57 SAR 20.92

70.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,795

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 453

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 JMD 613

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 JMD 119

$0.83 SAR 3.11

-9.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 192

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 505

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-1.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 JMD 996

$9.52 SAR 35.73

-33.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 219

$0.65 SAR 2.44

113.85%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$53.2K SAR 199.7K

-16.78%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$20.7K SAR 77.6K

58.46%

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

$167 JMD 26.4K

$59.0 SAR 221

182.68%

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

$29.86 JMD 4,717

$42.19 SAR 158

-29.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 JMD 8,443

$64.9 SAR 244

-17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 JMD 9,787

$195 SAR 731

-68.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

$93.5 SAR 351

-81.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 JMD 2,078

$10.56 SAR 39.62

24.53%

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

$359 JMD 56.7K

$65.3 SAR 245

449.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

$13.3K SAR 49.8K

-36.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.75 JMD 3,752

$50.6 SAR 190

-53.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 JMD 4,918

$41.79 SAR 157

-25.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

$76.9 SAR 289

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 JMD 15.9K

$90.4 SAR 339

11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 JMD 154.0K

$361 SAR 1,355

169.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 89.0K

$453 SAR 1,700

24.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 JMD 116.1K

$2,785 SAR 10.5K

-73.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.5

110.00%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$563 33.8%

Dhahran

$453 34.4% 19.5% $110

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 23%

Dhahran

$231 17.6% 39.8% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$250 15%

Dhahran

$166 12.6% 33.6% $84

Eating Out

Kingston

$221 13.2%

Dhahran

$113 8.6% 48.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Dhahran

$117 8.9% 11.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$88 5.3%

Dhahran

$216 16.4% 145% $128

Getting Around

Kingston

$57 3.5%

Dhahran

$21 * 1.6% 63.6% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Kingston versus $361 in Dhahran. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 279% higher in Dhahran, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Kingston versus $39.00 in Dhahran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $231 – making Dhahran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

8 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

120,521

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Dhahran 12,460 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston costs about 27% more than Dhahran, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,502 per month in Kingston and $1,976 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhahran, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,668 in Kingston and $1,317 in Dhahran. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $359 per month in Kingston and $65.3 in Dhahran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dhahran, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Kingston at $1,668. In Dhahran it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dhahran – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dhahran. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.