Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in Kingston versus $1,646 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,889 in Kingston versus $2,613 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,093 in Kingston versus $3,580 in Mexico City.

Living in Kingston is roughly 2% more expensive than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 23% above, Mexico City 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.95 JMD 2,513

$12.11 MX$206

31.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 JMD 11.7K

$52.2 MX$887

42.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 JMD 1,388

$10.90 MX$185

-19.17%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 823

$4.05 MX$68.9

28.89%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.72 MX$29.15

-30.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 JMD 109

$1.38 MX$23.41

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$3.47 MX$58.9

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$5.81 MX$98.8

-46.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.06 JMD 639

$1.85 MX$31.50

119.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 JMD 589

$3.22 MX$54.8

16.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 JMD 261

$2.09 MX$35.44

-20.57%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 570

$2.91 MX$49.44

24.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 JMD 1,826

$12.49 MX$212

-7.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 JMD 975

$10.11 MX$172

-38.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 JMD 1,595

$15.89 MX$270

-36.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 JMD 964

$3.31 MX$56.3

84.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.99 JMD 629

$2.13 MX$36.14

87.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 JMD 1,179

$2.19 MX$37.22

241.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 JMD 491

$2.45 MX$41.59

26.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 510

$2.19 MX$37.20

47.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$1.90 MX$32.37

38.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 474

$1.62 MX$27.45

85.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 231

$1.35 MX$22.94

8.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 JMD 1,534

$5.43 MX$92.2

79.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 JMD 1,785

$17.59 MX$299

-35.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$2.07 MX$35.14

34.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 625

$4.75 MX$80.7

-16.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 JMD 128

$0.34 MX$5.78

138.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.60 JMD 6,082

$21.58 MX$367

78.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 JMD 193

$2.04 MX$34.67

-39.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 JMD 496

$0.58 MX$9.82

441.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.15 JMD 970

$5.97 MX$101

3.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.62 MX$27.46

-16.05%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$22.8K MX$387.6K

91.51%

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

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

$26.7K MX$453.1K

21.53%

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

$172 JMD 27.1K

$65.2 MX$1,109

163.46%

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

$29.66 JMD 4,675

$29.87 MX$508

-0.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 JMD 8,278

$36.55 MX$621

43.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 JMD 9,862

$61.0 MX$1,037

2.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.94 JMD 2,827

$26.70 MX$454

-32.81%

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 JMD 2,103

$6.85 MX$116

94.89%

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

$367 JMD 57.8K

$453 MX$7,705

-19.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,302 JMD 1.3M

$13.4K MX$227.2K

-37.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.88 JMD 3,764

$75.0 MX$1,274

-68.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.86 JMD 5,020

$55.3 MX$940

-42.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 JMD 12.5K

$114 MX$1,931

-30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$123 MX$2,084

-16.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 JMD 153.2K

$1,134 MX$19.3K

-14.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 88.7K

$712 MX$12.1K

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 JMD 333.5K

$2,571 MX$43.7K

-17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 JMD 226.0K

$1,311 MX$22.3K

9.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,902 JMD 457.4K

$3,993 MX$67.8K

-27.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,054 JMD 323.7K

$2,095 MX$35.6K

-1.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 JMD 119.3K

$1,047 MX$17.8K

-27.69%

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: August 29, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: August 29, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $972 in Kingston and $1,134 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 38% 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 $52.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $345 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

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 2% 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 38% 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: $972 in Kingston versus $1,134 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $367 in Kingston versus $453 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,646 in Mexico City versus $1,684 in Kingston, a $3,000 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 $1,646 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 2% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.