Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Negril

For one person, living is cheaper in Negril: $927 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Negril
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Negril Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Negril

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Negril

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $927 in Negril.

Kingston $1,677
Negril $927

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,478 in Negril.

Kingston $2,829
Negril $1,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,029 in Negril.

Kingston $3,980
Negril $2,029

Living in Kingston is roughly 81% more expensive than in Negril, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Negril is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$9.68 JMD 1,526

42.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$49.26 JMD 7,767

52.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$8.05 JMD 1,269

3.23%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$2.05 JMD 323

161.46%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.15 JMD 181

3.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.16 JMD 341

4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.19 JMD 503

1.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$4.02 JMD 634

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.37 JMD 532

14.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.58 JMD 249

3.80%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.51 JMD 554

2.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.25 JMD 1,773

2.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.33 JMD 998

-1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.19 JMD 1,606

0.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$6.06 JMD 956

0.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.96 JMD 624

-2.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.47 JMD 1,177

-2.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.99 JMD 471

3.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.15 JMD 497

0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.58 JMD 406

3.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.99 JMD 472

3.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.44 JMD 227

-0.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.27 JMD 1,776

-0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.92 JMD 460

-5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$3.94 JMD 622

2.54%

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

$1.22 JMD 193

4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.23 JMD 509

-0.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.36 JMD 1,002

0.16%

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

0.55%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

0.46%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$166 JMD 26.2K

1.96%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$29.95 JMD 4,722

-2.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$51.9 JMD 8,179

3.66%

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

$13.26 JMD 2,090

1.51%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$362 JMD 57.0K

0.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,121 JMD 1.3M

3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.75 JMD 3,745

-1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$30.90 JMD 4,873

1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$104 JMD 16.4K

-1.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

$1,005 JMD 158.5K

-4.71%

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 Negril: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Negril

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Negril

$378 40.8% 1.9% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Negril

$248 26.8% 1.7% $4.4

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Negril

$151 16.3% 33% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Negril

$106 11.4% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Negril

$27 * 2.9% 70.1% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Negril

$17 * 1.9% 70.1% $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 $1,005 in Negril. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $49 in Negril for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $378 per month, with Negril cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Negril

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

13,779

💱 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

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Kingston Negril 170 km

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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 Negril: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negril wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Negril the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,390 in Negril 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 $1,005 in Negril. 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 $927 in Negril – Negril is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Negril – a meal for two runs $49 versus $75 in Kingston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $927 in Negril versus $1,677 in Kingston, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Negril but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Negril the clear choice for anyone on this budget.