Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Tbilisi: $1,269 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Tbilisi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,677 in Kingston versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Kingston $1,677
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,829 in Kingston versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Kingston $2,829
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,980 in Kingston versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Kingston $3,980
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Kingston is roughly 32% more expensive than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Tbilisi is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 JMD 2,180

$11.63 ₾30.07

18.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

$37.83 ₾97.8

98.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.31 JMD 1,312

$9.66 ₾24.98

-13.98%

Cappuccino

$5.36 JMD 847

$3.57 ₾9.24

50.14%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$1.08 ₾2.78

10.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.56 ₾1.45

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 358

$2.62 ₾6.78

-13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 JMD 511

$3.04 ₾7.85

6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$2.17 ₾5.60

94.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 JMD 610

$0.80 ₾2.06

382.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.74 ₾4.51

-5.75%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$2.83 ₾7.31

26.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,824

$9.31 ₾24.07

24.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 985

$6.52 ₾16.85

-4.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,615

$12.95 ₾33.50

-21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$1.68 ₾4.33

261.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 JMD 612

$1.85 ₾4.79

109.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 JMD 1,146

$1.97 ₾5.10

268.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 JMD 489

$2.42 ₾6.25

28.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 502

$0.82 ₾2.11

287.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 JMD 423

$0.74 ₾1.91

262.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 JMD 489

$1.34 ₾3.47

131.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 JMD 227

$0.77 ₾2.00

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,474

$3.57 ₾9.24

161.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 JMD 1,779

$7.67 ₾19.83

46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JMD 438

$1.70 ₾4.39

62.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 JMD 639

$2.40 ₾6.21

68.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.5

$0.40 ₾1.05

52.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

$15.23 ₾39.38

150.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 203

$1.14 ₾2.95

12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 509

$0.78 ₾2.02

312.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 JMD 1,006

$11.83 ₾30.58

-46.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.45 ₾3.75

-2.07%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

78.82%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

46.71%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$88.8 ₾230

90.92%

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

$29.16 JMD 4,608

$13.12 ₾33.93

122.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,496

$19.67 ₾50.9

173.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,742

$64.1 ₾166

-3.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

$19.04 ₾49.24

-6.72%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 JMD 2,127

$7.12 ₾18.42

89.04%

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

$363 JMD 57.4K

$375 ₾971

-3.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-19.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.39 JMD 3,695

$104 ₾268

-77.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,956

$39.26 ₾102

-20.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

$117 ₾303

-34.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$122 ₾315

-16.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.3K

$695 ₾1,798

37.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.8K

$451 ₾1,167

24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

$1,355 ₾3,504

55.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

$906 ₾2,343

56.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 450.1K

$2,295 ₾5,934

24.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 327.4K

$1,345 ₾3,478

54.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 JMD 118.5K

$664 ₾1,718

12.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

12.62

-25.12%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$562 33.5%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 19.7% $111

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$385 23%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 39.3% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$252 15.1%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 51.8% $131

Eating Out

Kingston

$225 13.4%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 15.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$105 6.3%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 63.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 11.6% $10

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.5%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 62.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $958 in Kingston and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 13% 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: $75 in Kingston vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $234 per month, with Tbilisi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

08:05 8:05 AM

9 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, 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).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Tbilisi 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tbilisi wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tbilisi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $958 in Kingston versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $363 in Kingston versus $375 in Tbilisi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Expats usually find Tbilisi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.