Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Santa Cruz, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,285 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Santa Cruz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,285 in Santa Cruz.

Kingston $1,677
Santa Cruz $1,285

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,988 in Santa Cruz.

Kingston $2,829
Santa Cruz $1,988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,690 in Santa Cruz.

Kingston $3,980
Santa Cruz $2,690

Living in Kingston is roughly 30% more expensive than in Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Santa Cruz is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$7.37 JMD 1,163

87.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

18.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$6.45 JMD 1,016

28.84%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$5.34 JMD 842

0.37%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.16 JMD 182

2.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.75 JMD 119

-1.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.08 JMD 485

4.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$4.04 JMD 638

4.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$2.58 JMD 406

49.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.57 JMD 248

4.46%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.47 JMD 548

3.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.33 JMD 1,787

1.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.40 JMD 1,010

-2.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.41 JMD 1,641

-1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$5.97 JMD 941

1.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.83 JMD 604

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.43 JMD 1,171

-2.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.01 JMD 474

2.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.32 JMD 523

-4.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.64 JMD 416

1.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.01 JMD 475

2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.45 JMD 229

-1.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.47 JMD 1,494

-1.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.53 JMD 1,818

-2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.89 JMD 456

-4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$4.01 JMD 632

0.75%

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

$1.27 JMD 201

0.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.12 JMD 492

3.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.12 JMD 966

4.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.39 JMD 220

2.16%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-2.00%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

0.66%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$166 JMD 26.2K

2.04%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$29.57 JMD 4,664

-1.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$51.8 JMD 8,165

3.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,723

$38.40 JMD 6,055

60.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,801

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,123

$13.44 JMD 2,119

0.15%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$359 JMD 56.6K

1.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

3.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.66 JMD 3,731

-1.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$31.85 JMD 5,022

-1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

-1.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$101 JMD 15.9K

0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.6K

$311 JMD 49.0K

80.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

$499 JMD 78.8K

184.73%

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

$408 JMD 64.3K

83.80%

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 Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2% 44.7% $251

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9% 3.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3% 2% $5

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Santa Cruz

$168 13% 25.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1% 26.3% $23

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3% 70.8% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Kingston pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $64 in Santa Cruz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $371 per month, with Santa Cruz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

8,217

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Kingston Santa Cruz 96 km

From you

Kingston
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Cruz wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Cruz the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Kingston, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% 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 $1,285 in Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,285 in Santa Cruz versus $1,677 in Kingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Santa Cruz but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Cruz the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Santa Cruz wins on affordability, Kingston on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.