Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $41,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
Learn more

Kingston Living Index
245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Kingston versus $5,142 in New York, NY.

Kingston $1,668
New York, NY $5,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,779 in Kingston versus $7,455 in New York, NY.

Kingston $2,779
New York, NY $7,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,890 in Kingston versus $9,767 in New York, NY.

Kingston $3,890
New York, NY $9,767

Living in Kingston costs roughly 68% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 24% above, New York, NY 284% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.57 JMD 2,142

$26.46 $26.46

-48.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$119 $119

-37.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 JMD 1,256

$14.43 $14.43

-44.91%

Cappuccino

$5.47 JMD 863

$6.55 $6.55

-16.49%

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

$1.14 JMD 179

$3.84 $3.84

-70.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 118

$3.00 $3.00

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$8.27 $8.27

-72.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 JMD 494

$10.05 $10.05

-68.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.12 JMD 651

$1.31 $1.31

214.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 JMD 598

$4.90 $4.90

-22.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 250

$7.16 $7.16

-77.79%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 562

$5.92 $5.92

-39.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 JMD 1,772

$19.06 $19.06

-41.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 JMD 1,023

$17.38 $17.38

-62.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,614

$18.94 $18.94

-46.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 JMD 930

$6.96 $6.96

-15.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.90 JMD 616

$2.08 $2.08

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.34 JMD 1,159

$6.10 $6.10

20.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 483

$6.95 $6.95

-55.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.98 $3.98

-18.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 JMD 421

$4.44 $4.44

-39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 JMD 481

$2.81 $2.81

8.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 239

$2.51 $2.51

-39.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 JMD 1,502

$19.27 $19.27

-50.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 JMD 1,787

$19.67 $19.67

-42.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 JMD 446

$3.08 $3.08

-8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 JMD 647

$3.68 $3.68

11.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 JMD 123

$3.02 $3.02

-74.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.32 JMD 5,893

$140 $140

-73.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 195

$3.07 $3.07

-59.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 JMD 503

$2.13 $2.13

49.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 JMD 1,020

$41.21 $41.21

-84.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.11 $1.11

27.93%

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

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

$35.0K $35.0K

27.63%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$25.4K $25.4K

29.41%

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

$169 JMD 26.6K

$217 $217

-22.45%

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

$29.11 JMD 4,597

$74.0 $74.0

-60.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 JMD 8,360

$72.5 $72.5

-26.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 JMD 9,869

$120 $120

-48.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 JMD 2,783

$66.9 $66.9

-73.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 JMD 2,097

$22.32 $22.32

-40.50%

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

$357 JMD 56.4K

$3,425 $3,425

-89.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

$61.2K $61.2K

-86.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 JMD 3,766

$76.3 $76.3

-68.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,953

$55.5 $55.5

-43.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 JMD 12.3K

$119 $119

-34.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.0K

$131 $131

-22.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 JMD 151.1K

$4,506 $4,506

-78.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 JMD 91.0K

$3,155 $3,155

-81.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 JMD 337.7K

$8,817 $8,817

-75.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 JMD 219.7K

$5,532 $5,532

-74.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,892 JMD 456.6K

$19.4K $19.4K

-85.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,080 JMD 328.4K

$6,754 $6,754

-69.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$733 JMD 115.7K

$5,290 $5,290

-86.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

6.82

38.56%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$576 34.2%

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2% 447% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 22.8%

New York, NY

$546 11% 42.1% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$251 14.9%

New York, NY

$364 7.3% 45.2% $113

Eating Out

Kingston

$223 13.2%

New York, NY

$422 8.5% 89.3% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$106 6.3%

New York, NY

$172 3.4% 62.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 85.4% $76

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.4%

New York, NY

$165 3.3% 187% $108

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Kingston and $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 622% 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: $74.0 in Kingston vs $119 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $546 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

05:53 5:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

1 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kingston New York, NY 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 208% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 622% lower in New York, NY. 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 $4,506 in New York, NY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $357 in Kingston versus $3,425 in New York, NY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.