Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Kingston versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Kingston $1,668
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,812 in Kingston versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Kingston $2,812
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,955 in Kingston versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Kingston $3,955
Phuket $2,867

Living in Kingston is roughly 38% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 24% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 JMD 2,099

$4.58 ฿153

190.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

$32.48 ฿1,086

127.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 JMD 1,285

$8.55 ฿286

-4.80%

Cappuccino

$5.45 JMD 861

$2.72 ฿91.0

100.37%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$0.94 ฿31.25

21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 JMD 115

$0.49 ฿16.39

46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

$2.59 ฿86.6

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 491

$3.83 ฿128

-18.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.19 JMD 661

$1.74 ฿58.1

140.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 JMD 598

$1.43 ฿47.82

164.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 254

$1.53 ฿51.0

5.23%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$2.17 ฿72.7

60.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 JMD 1,801

$19.15 ฿640

-40.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 JMD 1,003

$3.30 ฿110

92.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 JMD 1,644

$11.14 ฿372

-6.64%

Apples (1kg)

$6.05 JMD 957

$2.95 ฿98.5

105.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 604

$1.68 ฿56.1

127.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$2.30 ฿76.8

215.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$2.13 ฿71.3

43.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 JMD 506

$1.53 ฿51.1

109.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 415

$1.36 ฿45.55

92.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 494

$1.12 ฿37.44

179.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 228

$0.55 ฿18.24

161.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.48 JMD 1,498

$4.26 ฿142

122.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,795

$18.19 ฿608

-37.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 453

$1.74 ฿58.2

64.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 JMD 613

$2.79 ฿93.3

39.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 JMD 119

$2.22 ฿74.1

-66.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

$22.06 ฿737

68.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 192

$2.91 ฿97.3

-58.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 JMD 505

$1.01 ฿33.79

216.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.31 JMD 996

$3.83 ฿128

64.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 219

$1.49 ฿49.85

-6.71%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

66.01%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

22.73%

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

$167 JMD 26.4K

$99.4 ฿3,321

67.87%

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

$29.86 JMD 4,717

$11.28 ฿377

164.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 JMD 8,443

$17.36 ฿580

207.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 JMD 9,787

$52.3 ฿1,747

18.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

$10.85 ฿362

62.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.15 JMD 2,078

$7.57 ฿253

73.71%

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

$359 JMD 56.7K

$558 ฿18.7K

-35.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-27.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.75 JMD 3,752

$62.9 ฿2,102

-62.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 JMD 4,918

$28.58 ฿955

8.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

$96.1 ฿3,213

-19.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 JMD 15.9K

$88.1 ฿2,943

14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 JMD 154.0K

$729 ฿24.4K

33.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 89.0K

$460 ฿15.4K

22.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

2.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

16.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-16.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-17.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 JMD 116.1K

$493 ฿16.5K

49.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$563 33.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 18.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 23%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 30.4% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$250 15%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 48.8% $122

Eating Out

Kingston

$221 13.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 45% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$88 5.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 23.6% $21

Getting Around

Kingston

$57 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 32.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $975 in Kingston and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 49% 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 $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

12 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kingston Phuket 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Kingston, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $975 in Kingston versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $359 in Kingston versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kingston and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.