Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Monterrey

For one person, living costs are similar in Kingston and in Monterrey: $1,668 and $1,607 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Monterrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Kingston versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Kingston $1,668
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,779 in Kingston versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Kingston $2,779
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,890 in Kingston versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Kingston $3,890
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Kingston is roughly 4% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 24% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.57 JMD 2,150

$13.75 MX$250

-1.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.8K

$50.2 MX$913

47.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 JMD 1,261

$11.13 MX$203

-28.57%

Cappuccino

$5.47 JMD 866

$4.04 MX$73.5

35.40%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$1.70 MX$31.00

-32.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 118

$0.99 MX$18.00

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$2.41 MX$43.80

-6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 JMD 496

$4.48 MX$81.6

-30.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.12 JMD 654

$1.92 MX$34.98

114.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 JMD 600

$2.89 MX$52.6

31.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.94 MX$35.34

-18.04%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 564

$2.50 MX$45.47

42.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 JMD 1,778

$12.30 MX$224

-8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 JMD 1,026

$9.33 MX$170

-30.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,620

$13.07 MX$238

-21.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 JMD 933

$3.38 MX$61.5

74.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.90 JMD 619

$1.58 MX$28.75

146.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.34 JMD 1,163

$2.20 MX$40.07

233.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 485

$2.45 MX$44.48

24.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 511

$2.26 MX$41.09

42.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 JMD 423

$2.74 MX$49.89

-2.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 JMD 483

$1.53 MX$27.83

99.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 240

$1.26 MX$22.94

19.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 JMD 1,507

$4.84 MX$88.1

96.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 JMD 1,793

$13.59 MX$247

-16.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 JMD 447

$1.91 MX$34.69

47.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 JMD 649

$3.06 MX$55.8

33.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 JMD 123

$0.80 MX$14.47

-2.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.32 JMD 5,914

$31.77 MX$578

17.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 196

$1.62 MX$29.50

-23.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 JMD 504

$1.10 MX$19.99

189.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 JMD 1,023

$10.97 MX$199

-41.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 225

$1.52 MX$27.68

-6.58%

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

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

$21.4K MX$388.7K

108.98%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$25.5K MX$463.3K

29.04%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$120 MX$2,178

40.88%

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

$29.11 JMD 4,613

$27.08 MX$493

7.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 JMD 8,390

$26.70 MX$486

98.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 JMD 9,904

$31.15 MX$567

100.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 JMD 2,793

$21.95 MX$399

-19.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 JMD 2,104

$5.14 MX$93.5

158.37%

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

$357 JMD 56.6K

$688 MX$12.5K

-48.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

$11.4K MX$207.9K

-28.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 JMD 3,780

$71.9 MX$1,308

-66.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,971

$43.30 MX$788

-27.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 JMD 12.4K

$112 MX$2,040

-30.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$122 MX$2,216

-16.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 JMD 151.6K

$957 MX$17.4K

-0.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 JMD 91.3K

$670 MX$12.2K

-14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 JMD 338.9K

$1,887 MX$34.3K

13.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 JMD 220.5K

$1,305 MX$23.7K

6.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,892 JMD 458.2K

$4,159 MX$75.7K

-30.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,080 JMD 329.6K

$2,437 MX$44.3K

-14.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$733 JMD 116.1K

$1,133 MX$20.6K

-35.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.79

-19.85%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$576 34.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 16.3% $94

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 22.8%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 18.7% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$251 14.9%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 30.8% $77

Eating Out

Kingston

$223 13.2%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$106 6.3%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 48.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 53.5% $48

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 26.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Kingston and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 55% 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 Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

1 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kingston Monterrey 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Monterrey. 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: $957 in Kingston versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $357 in Kingston versus $688 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,607 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.