Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Lucea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $999 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 Lucea
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Lucea Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$999

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Lucea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $999 in Lucea.

Kingston $1,677
Lucea $999

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,656 in Lucea.

Kingston $2,829
Lucea $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,313 in Lucea.

Kingston $3,980
Lucea $2,313

Living in Kingston is roughly 68% more expensive than in Lucea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Lucea is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$13.29 JMD 2,096

3.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$74.9 JMD 11.8K

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$8.35 JMD 1,317

-0.48%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$5.20 JMD 820

3.08%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.20 JMD 188

-0.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.70 JMD 110

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.17 JMD 342

4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.11 JMD 490

3.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.67 JMD 579

5.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.56 JMD 246

5.13%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.51 JMD 553

2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.33 JMD 1,787

1.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.28 JMD 991

-0.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.36 JMD 1,634

-1.35%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$6.17 JMD 973

-1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.93 JMD 620

-1.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.48 JMD 1,179

-3.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.12 JMD 492

-0.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.70 JMD 426

-0.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.12 JMD 493

-0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.50 JMD 236

-4.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.20 JMD 1,451

1.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.20 JMD 1,767

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.79 JMD 440

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$4.03 JMD 636

0.25%

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

$1.29 JMD 203

-0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.07 JMD 484

4.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.38 JMD 1,006

-0.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.45 JMD 229

-2.07%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

0.05%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

-1.20%

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

$28.97 JMD 4,568

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$51.9 JMD 8,180

3.64%

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

$13.26 JMD 2,091

1.51%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$359 JMD 56.6K

1.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,142 JMD 1.3M

3.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$24.01 JMD 3,786

-2.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$30.87 JMD 4,868

1.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$78.9 JMD 12.4K

-1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$101 JMD 16.0K

0.36%

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 Lucea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Lucea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Lucea

$386 38.6% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Lucea

$246 24.7% 2.4% $6.1

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Lucea

$218 21.9% 3% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Lucea

$106 10.6% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Lucea

$27 * 2.7% 70.1% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Lucea

$17 * 1.7% 71.3% $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 Lucea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $386 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Lucea

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

7,377

💱 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 Lucea 160 km

From you

Kingston
Lucea

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 Lucea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lucea wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lucea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,499 in Lucea 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 $359 in Lucea. 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 $999 in Lucea – Lucea is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lucea is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.