Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,418 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
Learn more

Kingston Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
Learn more

Seongnam Living Index

Jump to prices

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Seongnam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,418 in Seongnam.

Kingston $1,677
Seongnam $1,418

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $2,361 in Seongnam.

Kingston $2,829
Seongnam $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $3,305 in Seongnam.

Kingston $3,980
Seongnam $3,305

Living in Kingston is roughly 18% more expensive than in Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 23% above, Seongnam 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,180

$6.95 ₩9,271

98.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

$41.62 ₩55.5K

80.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,312

$6.83 ₩9,112

21.67%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 847

$4.03 ₩5,372

33.00%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.56 ₩2,077

-23.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.76 ₩1,008

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$3.53 ₩4,709

-35.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 511

$3.81 ₩5,079

-15.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$2.31 ₩3,081

83.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 610

$3.18 ₩4,244

21.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$3.71 ₩4,945

-55.80%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$3.67 ₩4,890

-2.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,824

$9.13 ₩12.2K

26.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 985

$8.04 ₩10.7K

-22.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,615

$20.41 ₩27.2K

-49.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$7.56 ₩10.1K

-19.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 612

$3.56 ₩4,747

8.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$5.65 ₩7,532

28.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 489

$6.81 ₩9,088

-54.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 502

$3.76 ₩5,008

-15.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 423

$2.62 ₩3,498

2.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$2.93 ₩3,911

5.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 227

$1.35 ₩1,795

5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,474

$3.48 ₩4,638

168.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,779

$18.94 ₩25.3K

-40.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.10 ₩2,798

31.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 639

$1.93 ₩2,571

109.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.5

$1.09 ₩1,452

-44.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$3.65 ₩4,864

-64.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$0.67 ₩892

380.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,006

$8.76 ₩11.7K

-27.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.39 ₩1,855

2.16%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$30.0K ₩40.0M

46.61%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$28.1K ₩37.4M

16.78%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$215 ₩286.6K

-21.11%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,608

$36.76 ₩49.0K

-20.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,496

$21.23 ₩28.3K

153.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,742

$55.1 ₩73.4K

11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

$14.12 ₩18.8K

25.78%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,127

$11.38 ₩15.2K

18.28%

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

$363 JMD 57.4K

$379 ₩505.6K

-4.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$18.1K ₩24.1M

-53.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,695

$57.7 ₩76.9K

-59.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,956

$32.54 ₩43.4K

-3.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$71.4 ₩95.2K

8.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$84.4 ₩112.6K

20.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.3K

$488 ₩650.4K

96.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.8K

$360 ₩480.4K

56.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

$1,158 ₩1.5M

81.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

$1,046 ₩1.4M

35.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 450.1K

$7,247 ₩9.7M

-60.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 327.4K

$5,589 ₩7.5M

-62.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.08

131.62%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Seongnam

$360 25.4% 35.9% $202

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Seongnam

$426 30% 10.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Seongnam

$273 19.3% 8.1% $20

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Seongnam

$159 11.2% 29.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Seongnam

$111 7.8% 5.2% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Seongnam

$78 5.5% 12.1% $11

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 80.4% $47

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 $488 in Seongnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $42 in Seongnam. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $426, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

14 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

967,510

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kingston Seongnam 13,370 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seongnam wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Seongnam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,515 in Kingston and $2,127 in Seongnam 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 $488 in Seongnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Kingston pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,677 per month in Kingston versus $1,418 in Seongnam – Seongnam is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Seongnam 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.