Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Kingston versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Kingston $1,668
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,812 in Kingston versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Kingston $2,812
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,955 in Kingston versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Kingston $3,955
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Kingston is roughly 6% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 24% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 JMD 2,099

$10.75 MX$199

23.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

$50.3 MX$929

46.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 JMD 1,285

$11.10 MX$205

-26.67%

Cappuccino

$5.45 JMD 861

$3.68 MX$68.1

48.10%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$1.65 MX$30.42

-30.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 115

$1.30 MX$24.08

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

$3.32 MX$61.3

-34.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 491

$5.54 MX$102

-43.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.19 JMD 661

$1.77 MX$32.68

136.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 JMD 598

$3.05 MX$56.4

23.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 254

$2.01 MX$37.20

-19.90%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$2.77 MX$51.1

25.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 JMD 1,801

$11.91 MX$220

-4.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 JMD 1,003

$9.33 MX$172

-31.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 JMD 1,644

$15.02 MX$278

-30.76%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 JMD 957

$3.08 MX$56.8

96.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 604

$1.95 MX$35.97

95.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$2.03 MX$37.54

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$2.21 MX$40.92

38.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 JMD 506

$2.02 MX$37.41

58.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 415

$1.82 MX$33.67

43.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 494

$1.52 MX$28.07

105.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 228

$1.28 MX$23.65

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 JMD 1,498

$5.27 MX$97.4

79.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,795

$16.12 MX$298

-29.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 453

$1.95 MX$36.05

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 JMD 613

$4.25 MX$78.6

-8.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 JMD 119

$0.31 MX$5.82

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

$19.85 MX$367

87.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 192

$2.00 MX$36.93

-39.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 505

$0.53 MX$9.86

503.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 JMD 996

$5.62 MX$104

12.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 219

$1.52 MX$28.07

-8.55%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

110.58%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

30.19%

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

$167 JMD 26.4K

$62.5 MX$1,155

166.94%

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

$29.86 JMD 4,717

$28.77 MX$532

3.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 JMD 8,443

$34.45 MX$637

55.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 JMD 9,787

$57.1 MX$1,055

8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

$24.81 MX$458

-29.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 JMD 2,078

$6.67 MX$123

97.15%

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

$359 JMD 56.7K

$431 MX$7,964

-16.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-28.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.75 JMD 3,752

$70.8 MX$1,308

-66.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 JMD 4,918

$51.8 MX$958

-39.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

$109 MX$2,011

-29.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 JMD 15.9K

$112 MX$2,076

-10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 JMD 154.0K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 89.0K

$665 MX$12.3K

-15.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-8.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

15.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-19.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

3.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 JMD 116.1K

$975 MX$18.0K

-24.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.3

-16.37%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$563 33.8%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 18.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 23%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 16% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$250 15%

Mexico City

$126 8% 49.7% $124

Eating Out

Kingston

$221 13.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 48% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$88 5.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 20.2% $18

Getting Around

Kingston

$57 3.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 55.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $975 in Kingston and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74.0 in Kingston vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Mexico City 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $975 in Kingston versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $359 in Kingston versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,567 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.