Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Golden Grove

For one person, living is cheaper in Golden Grove: $1,008 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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 Golden Grove
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Golden Grove Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Golden Grove

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Golden Grove

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,008 in Golden Grove.

Kingston $1,677
Golden Grove $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,665 in Golden Grove.

Kingston $2,829
Golden Grove $1,665

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,322 in Golden Grove.

Kingston $3,980
Golden Grove $2,322

Living in Kingston is roughly 66% more expensive than in Golden Grove, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,178

$13.78 JMD 2,176

0.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

$74.7 JMD 11.8K

0.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,311

$8.06 JMD 1,273

3.10%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 847

$5.45 JMD 860

-1.65%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.18 JMD 187

0.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.69 JMD 109

7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.16 JMD 341

4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 511

$3.21 JMD 507

0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$4.15 JMD 655

1.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.71 JMD 587

4.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.56 JMD 247

5.13%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 566

$3.46 JMD 546

3.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,823

$11.23 JMD 1,774

2.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 984

$6.13 JMD 968

1.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,614

$10.14 JMD 1,600

0.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$6.17 JMD 974

-1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 611

$3.83 JMD 604

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,145

$7.32 JMD 1,156

-0.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 489

$2.96 JMD 467

4.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 502

$3.15 JMD 498

0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 423

$2.61 JMD 412

2.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$3.14 JMD 496

-1.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.44 JMD 227

-0.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,473

$9.30 JMD 1,469

0.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,778

$11.23 JMD 1,773

0.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.80 JMD 442

-1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 638

$3.98 JMD 628

1.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,016

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$1.27 JMD 201

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$3.13 JMD 494

2.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,005

$6.40 JMD 1,011

-0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.45 JMD 228

-2.07%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

1.26%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

0.47%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$171 JMD 27.0K

-0.87%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,605

$29.71 JMD 4,692

-1.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,490

$53.1 JMD 8,390

1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,736

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,804

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,126

$13.32 JMD 2,102

1.05%

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

$363 JMD 57.4K

$367 JMD 58.0K

-1.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,099 JMD 1.3M

3.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,693

$23.46 JMD 3,705

-0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,953

$32.03 JMD 5,058

-2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$79.2 JMD 12.5K

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$101 JMD 16.0K

0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 449.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 327.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.4K

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 Golden Grove: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Golden Grove

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Golden Grove

$380 37.7% 1.3% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Golden Grove

$254 25.2% 0.6% $1.4

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Golden Grove

$225 22.3% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Golden Grove

$106 10.5% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Golden Grove

$27 * 2.6% 69.9% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Golden Grove

$17 * 1.7% 70.8% $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 $75 in Golden Grove. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $380, with Golden Grove cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Golden Grove

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

3,058

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kingston Golden Grove 55 km

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Kingston
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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 Golden Grove: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,677 in Kingston and $1,008 in Golden Grove, so Golden Grove is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,513 in Golden Grove 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 $367 in Golden Grove. 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 $1,008 in Golden Grove – Golden Grove is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Golden Grove 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.