Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Mandeville

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
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Mandeville Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Mandeville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $810 in Mandeville.

Kingston $1,677
Mandeville $810

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,395 in Mandeville.

Kingston $2,829
Mandeville $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $1,980 in Mandeville.

Kingston $3,980
Mandeville $1,980

Living in Kingston is roughly 107% more expensive than in Mandeville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Mandeville is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$6.47 JMD 1,021

113.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

2.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$8.04 JMD 1,268

3.36%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$2.24 JMD 353

139.29%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.12 JMD 176

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.68 JMD 108

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.18 JMD 344

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$2.85 JMD 450

13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$4.25 JMD 670

-0.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$1.77 JMD 279

118.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.56 JMD 246

5.13%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.63 JMD 572

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.61 JMD 1,830

-0.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$5.99 JMD 944

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.84 JMD 605

0.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.15 JMD 1,127

1.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.07 JMD 484

0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.27 JMD 515

-2.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.62 JMD 413

2.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.15 JMD 497

-1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.49 JMD 235

-4.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.64 JMD 1,520

-3.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.36 JMD 1,791

-0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.94 JMD 463

-5.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$4.10 JMD 647

-1.46%

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

$1.24 JMD 196

3.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.19 JMD 504

0.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.43 JMD 1,013

-0.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.47 JMD 232

-3.40%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

0.66%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-1.13%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

78.39%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$22.22 JMD 3,505

31.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$50.9 JMD 8,033

5.56%

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

$13.28 JMD 2,095

1.36%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$365 JMD 57.6K

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.80 JMD 3,753

-1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$31.27 JMD 4,932

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$103 JMD 16.3K

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

$467 JMD 73.6K

105.26%

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 Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Mandeville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Mandeville

$366 45.1% 5.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Mandeville

$168 20.8% 33.4% $84

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Mandeville

$127 15.6% 43.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Mandeville

$106 13.1% 0.8% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3% 70% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1% 70.3% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $958 in Kingston and $467 in Mandeville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $73 in Mandeville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $366 per month, with Mandeville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

47,115

💱 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 Mandeville 76 km

From you

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 Mandeville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandeville wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mandeville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,215 in Mandeville 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $958 in Kingston versus $467 in Mandeville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $810 in Mandeville – Mandeville is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $810 in Mandeville versus $1,677 in Kingston, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandeville but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Mandeville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.