Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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 Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Spanish Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,009 in Spanish Town.

Kingston $1,677
Spanish Town $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $1,922 in Spanish Town.

Kingston $2,829
Spanish Town $1,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,834 in Spanish Town.

Kingston $3,980
Spanish Town $2,834

Living in Kingston is roughly 66% more expensive than in Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,175

$13.69 JMD 2,158

0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

1.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,310

$8.42 JMD 1,328

-1.31%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 846

$5.23 JMD 824

2.49%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.16 JMD 183

2.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 116

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.19 JMD 345

3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 510

$3.17 JMD 499

1.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

$4.21 JMD 665

0.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 609

$3.69 JMD 582

4.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$1.64 JMD 259

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 565

$3.53 JMD 557

1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,821

$11.42 JMD 1,801

1.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

$6.34 JMD 1,000

-1.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

$10.17 JMD 1,604

0.49%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 957

$6.07 JMD 958

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 610

$3.82 JMD 602

1.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,144

$7.56 JMD 1,193

-4.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 488

$2.97 JMD 469

4.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

$3.23 JMD 509

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 422

$2.03 JMD 320

32.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 488

$3.13 JMD 493

-0.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 226

$1.46 JMD 229

-2.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$9.58 JMD 1,510

-2.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,775

$11.44 JMD 1,804

-1.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$2.88 JMD 455

-3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 637

$3.91 JMD 616

3.32%

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

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.11 JMD 490

3.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,004

$6.21 JMD 979

2.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 223

$1.41 JMD 222

0.71%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-0.20%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

0.75%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$171 JMD 26.9K

-0.71%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,599

$28.96 JMD 4,567

0.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,480

$52.6 JMD 8,298

2.19%

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

$13.32 JMD 2,101

1.05%

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

$363 JMD 57.3K

$360 JMD 56.8K

0.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

0.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,688

$23.26 JMD 3,667

0.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,946

$31.95 JMD 5,038

-1.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

-2.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$104 JMD 16.4K

-2.34%

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

$624 JMD 98.4K

236.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

$513 JMD 80.9K

177.09%

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

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

-36.31%

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 Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Spanish Town

$383 38% 0.5% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Spanish Town

$252 25% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Spanish Town

$222 22% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Spanish Town

$107 10.6% 2% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6% 69.9% $62

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7% 71% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Spanish Town pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $75 in Kingston vs $74 in Spanish Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $383 per month, with Spanish Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

Same time as Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

131,056

💱 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 Spanish Town 17 km

From you

Kingston
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Kingston. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $363 in Kingston versus $360 in Spanish Town. 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 $1,009 in Spanish Town – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Spanish Town 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.