Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $1,005 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Old Harbour

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,005 in Old Harbour.

Kingston $1,677
Old Harbour $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,664 in Old Harbour.

Kingston $2,829
Old Harbour $1,664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,322 in Old Harbour.

Kingston $3,980
Old Harbour $2,322

Living in Kingston is roughly 67% more expensive than in Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Old Harbour is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,180

$13.35 JMD 2,109

3.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

$75.0 JMD 11.9K

0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,312

$8.40 JMD 1,326

-1.07%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 847

$5.23 JMD 826

2.49%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.14 JMD 180

4.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.73 JMD 115

1.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$2.19 JMD 345

3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 511

$3.22 JMD 509

0.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$4.24 JMD 670

-0.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 610

$3.83 JMD 605

0.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.56 JMD 246

5.13%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$3.47 JMD 549

3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,824

$11.44 JMD 1,807

0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 985

$6.34 JMD 1,002

-1.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,615

$10.13 JMD 1,601

0.89%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$6.06 JMD 958

0.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 612

$4.00 JMD 632

-3.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$7.38 JMD 1,165

-1.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 489

$3.01 JMD 475

2.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 502

$3.23 JMD 510

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 423

$2.60 JMD 411

3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$3.02 JMD 478

2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 227

$1.50 JMD 236

-4.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,474

$9.31 JMD 1,470

0.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,779

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.85 JMD 450

-2.81%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$1.28 JMD 202

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$3.23 JMD 510

-0.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,006

$6.45 JMD 1,020

-1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.46 JMD 231

-2.74%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

0.09%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

1.26%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$165 JMD 26.1K

2.67%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,608

$29.91 JMD 4,725

-2.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,496

$53.8 JMD 8,501

-0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,742

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,127

$13.48 JMD 2,130

-0.15%

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

$363 JMD 57.4K

$358 JMD 56.6K

1.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,285 JMD 1.3M

1.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,695

$23.81 JMD 3,762

-1.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,956

$31.92 JMD 5,044

-1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$78.5 JMD 12.4K

-1.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

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

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 Old Harbour: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Old Harbour

$386 38.4% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Old Harbour

$249 24.8% 1.4% $3.6

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Old Harbour

$220 21.9% 2.5% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Old Harbour

$27 * 2.7% 69.6% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 69.9% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $75 in Old Harbour for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $386 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

26,024

💱 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

On the map

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Kingston Old Harbour 34 km

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Kingston
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Old Harbour wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Old Harbour the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,507 in Old Harbour 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.

Childcare runs $363 in Kingston versus $358 in Old Harbour. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $1,005 in Old Harbour – Old Harbour is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Old Harbour gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.