Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Montego Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,169 in Montego Bay.

Kingston $1,677
Montego Bay $1,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $2,160 in Montego Bay.

Kingston $2,829
Montego Bay $2,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $3,152 in Montego Bay.

Kingston $3,980
Montego Bay $3,152

Living in Kingston is roughly 43% more expensive than in Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Montego Bay is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,180

$11.11 JMD 1,755

24.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

-1.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,312

$8.33 JMD 1,316

-0.24%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 847

$5.38 JMD 850

-0.37%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$0.86 JMD 136

38.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$2.23 JMD 352

1.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 511

$3.21 JMD 507

0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$3.25 JMD 514

30.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 610

$2.64 JMD 418

46.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.38 JMD 218

18.84%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$3.50 JMD 553

2.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,824

$11.40 JMD 1,801

1.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 985

$6.35 JMD 1,004

-1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,615

$8.88 JMD 1,403

15.09%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$4.28 JMD 676

41.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 612

$2.56 JMD 404

51.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$7.18 JMD 1,134

0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 489

$2.56 JMD 405

21.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 502

$2.50 JMD 395

27.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 423

$2.61 JMD 412

2.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$2.50 JMD 395

24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 227

$0.80 JMD 127

78.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,474

$9.50 JMD 1,501

-1.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,779

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-1.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.89 JMD 457

-4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 639

$3.93 JMD 621

2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.5

$0.95 JMD 150

-35.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$0.91 JMD 144

40.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$3.17 JMD 501

1.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,006

$6.33 JMD 1,000

0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.39 JMD 220

2.16%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

0.14%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

-0.65%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$167 JMD 26.3K

1.72%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,608

$22.32 JMD 3,526

30.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,496

$47.00 JMD 7,426

14.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,742

$43.62 JMD 6,892

41.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,127

$8.63 JMD 1,363

55.97%

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

$363 JMD 57.4K

$365 JMD 57.7K

-0.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,368 JMD 1.3M

0.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,695

$23.16 JMD 3,659

0.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,956

$31.56 JMD 4,986

-0.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$68.9 JMD 10.9K

12.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$103 JMD 16.2K

-0.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.3K

$313 JMD 49.4K

206.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.8K

$220 JMD 34.8K

155.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

$951 JMD 150.3K

120.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

$955 JMD 150.9K

48.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 450.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 327.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.5K

$590 JMD 93.2K

27.12%

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 Montego Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Montego Bay

$220 18.8% 60.9% $342

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Montego Bay

$327 28% 15.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Montego Bay

$236 20.2% 6.5% $16

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Montego Bay

$202 17.3% 10.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Montego Bay

$102 8.7% 3.3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Montego Bay

$61 5.2% 31.3% $28

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 64.5% $37

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 $313 in Montego Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 27% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $76 in Montego Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $327, with Montego Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

08:33 8:33 AM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

110,115

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montego Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montego Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Kingston, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $958 in Kingston versus $313 in Montego Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $1,169 in Montego Bay – Montego Bay is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Montego Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

It comes down to priorities – Montego Bay wins on affordability, Kingston on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.