Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,087 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,087

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Ocho Rios

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,087 in Ocho Rios.

Kingston $1,677
Ocho Rios $1,087

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,560 in Ocho Rios.

Kingston $2,829
Ocho Rios $1,560

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,033 in Ocho Rios.

Kingston $3,980
Ocho Rios $2,033

Living in Kingston is roughly 54% more expensive than in Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Ocho Rios is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$9.44 JMD 1,489

46.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$62.2 JMD 9,814

20.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$6.86 JMD 1,082

21.14%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$3.14 JMD 495

70.70%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.14 JMD 179

4.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.69 JMD 110

7.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.18 JMD 343

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.17 JMD 499

1.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$3.83 JMD 604

10.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$2.78 JMD 438

38.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.55 JMD 245

5.81%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.48 JMD 548

3.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.38 JMD 1,794

1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.20 JMD 977

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.26 JMD 1,618

-0.39%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$5.99 JMD 945

1.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.20 JMD 505

20.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$6.12 JMD 965

18.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.49 JMD 393

24.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.16 JMD 498

0.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.48 JMD 391

8.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.82 JMD 444

9.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.46 JMD 231

-2.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.03 JMD 1,424

3.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$9.55 JMD 1,505

17.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.79 JMD 440

-0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$3.92 JMD 618

3.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.3

$0.92 JMD 146

-33.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 202

$1.23 JMD 194

4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.18 JMD 501

1.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.48 JMD 1,022

-1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.41 JMD 222

0.71%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

0.60%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-0.90%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$166 JMD 26.2K

1.94%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$19.68 JMD 3,103

48.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$53.7 JMD 8,473

0.07%

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

$11.30 JMD 1,782

19.12%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$359 JMD 56.5K

1.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,377 JMD 1.3M

0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.77 JMD 3,748

-1.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$31.50 JMD 4,968

-0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$103 JMD 16.2K

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

$376 JMD 59.3K

154.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.6K

$187 JMD 29.5K

200.37%

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 Ocho Rios: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Ocho Rios

$187 17.2% 66.7% $375

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Ocho Rios

$352 32.4% 8.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Ocho Rios

$240 22.1% 5.1% $13

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Ocho Rios

$158 14.6% 29.7% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Ocho Rios

$106 9.7% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 74.5% $66

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 64.1% $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 $376 in Ocho Rios. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $62 in Ocho Rios for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $352 per month, with Ocho Rios cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

26,503

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kingston Ocho Rios 58 km

From you

Kingston
Ocho Rios

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 Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocho Rios wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ocho Rios the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,630 in Ocho Rios 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 $376 in Ocho Rios. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $1,087 in Ocho Rios – Ocho Rios is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,087 in Ocho Rios versus $1,677 in Kingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.