Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Saint Ann's Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Ann’s Bay: $1,006 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 Saint Ann's Bay
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Saint Ann's Bay Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Saint Ann's Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Saint Ann's Bay

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 Saint Ann's Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay.

Kingston $1,677
Saint Ann's Bay $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,600 in Saint Ann’s Bay.

Kingston $2,829
Saint Ann's Bay $1,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,195 in Saint Ann’s Bay.

Kingston $3,980
Saint Ann's Bay $2,195

Living in Kingston is roughly 67% more expensive than in Saint Ann’s Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Saint Ann’s Bay is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$13.35 JMD 2,105

3.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$50.2 JMD 7,922

49.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$8.31 JMD 1,311

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$5.46 JMD 862

-1.83%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.20 JMD 190

-0.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.70 JMD 110

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.25 JMD 354

0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.12 JMD 492

3.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$4.07 JMD 641

3.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.74 JMD 589

3.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.63 JMD 258

0.61%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.47 JMD 547

3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.20 JMD 1,766

3.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.20 JMD 978

0.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.09 JMD 1,591

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$6.00 JMD 946

1.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.99 JMD 629

-3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.53 JMD 1,187

-3.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.98 JMD 469

4.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.28 JMD 518

-3.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.62 JMD 414

2.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.15 JMD 497

-1.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.44 JMD 226

-0.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.30 JMD 1,467

0.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.43 JMD 1,802

-1.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.95 JMD 464

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$4.03 JMD 636

0.25%

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

$1.30 JMD 204

-1.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.17 JMD 501

1.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.44 JMD 1,016

-1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.30 JMD 205

9.23%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$43.4K JMD 6.8M

1.24%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

0.28%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$169 JMD 26.6K

0.43%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$29.03 JMD 4,577

0.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$52.9 JMD 8,346

1.59%

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

$13.41 JMD 2,114

0.37%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$366 JMD 57.7K

-0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,305 JMD 1.3M

1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.59 JMD 3,719

-0.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$31.44 JMD 4,957

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$78.3 JMD 12.4K

-1.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$101 JMD 16.0K

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

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 Saint Ann's Bay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Saint Ann's Bay

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Saint Ann's Bay

$383 38.1% 0.6% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Saint Ann's Bay

$251 24.9% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Saint Ann's Bay

$222 22.1% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Saint Ann's Bay

$106 10.5% 0.4% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Saint Ann's Bay

$27 * 2.7% 69.7% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Saint Ann's Bay

$17 * 1.7% 70.4% $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 $50 in Saint Ann’s Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $383 per month, with Saint Ann’s Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Saint Ann's Bay

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

13,671

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Saint Ann's Bay 67 km

From you

Kingston
Saint Ann's Bay

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 Saint Ann's Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $1,508 in Saint Ann’s Bay 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $1,006 in Saint Ann’s Bay – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint Ann’s Bay – a meal for two runs $50 versus $75 in Kingston. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saint Ann’s Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.