Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Jamaica and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,693 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,693

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Vancouver

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,693 in Kingston versus $2,683 in Vancouver.

Kingston $1,693
Vancouver $2,683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,846 in Kingston versus $3,963 in Vancouver.

Kingston $2,846
Vancouver $3,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,998 in Kingston versus $5,244 in Vancouver.

Kingston $3,998
Vancouver $5,244

Living in Kingston costs roughly 37% less than in Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 25% above, Vancouver 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.53 JMD 2,451

$18.10 CA$25.37

-14.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

$71.0 CA$99.5

6.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 JMD 1,271

$10.57 CA$14.81

-23.75%

Cappuccino

$5.26 JMD 830

$3.97 CA$5.56

32.49%

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

$1.14 JMD 180

$2.07 CA$2.90

-44.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 111

$1.85 CA$2.59

-62.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 JMD 324

$5.67 CA$7.95

-63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 JMD 490

$6.61 CA$9.27

-53.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.04 JMD 638

$2.16 CA$3.02

87.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 JMD 580

$2.58 CA$3.62

42.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 246

$4.30 CA$6.02

-63.72%

Eggs

$3.59 JMD 567

$4.09 CA$5.74

-12.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 JMD 1,793

$12.12 CA$16.98

-6.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.14 JMD 969

$13.28 CA$18.62

-53.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,613

$20.11 CA$28.19

-49.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 JMD 981

$3.96 CA$5.56

56.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.86 JMD 609

$1.43 CA$2.00

169.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.13 JMD 1,125

$3.71 CA$5.20

92.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 466

$3.92 CA$5.50

-24.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 JMD 505

$2.87 CA$4.02

11.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 JMD 429

$2.98 CA$4.17

-8.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 JMD 492

$2.61 CA$3.66

19.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 JMD 236

$1.63 CA$2.29

-7.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 JMD 1,460

$15.94 CA$22.35

-41.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 JMD 1,784

$14.25 CA$19.97

-20.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 JMD 453

$2.52 CA$3.54

13.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 JMD 621

$2.87 CA$4.03

36.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 95.8

$2.57 CA$3.60

-76.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.17 JMD 6,023

$84.4 CA$118

-54.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 JMD 378

$2.74 CA$3.85

-12.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 JMD 507

$1.63 CA$2.28

96.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.27 JMD 990

$31.90 CA$44.71

-80.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.46 CA$2.04

0.68%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$26.7K CA$37.4K

65.99%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$21.0K CA$29.5K

56.27%

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

$171 JMD 27.0K

$88.2 CA$124

93.71%

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

$29.11 JMD 4,593

$36.72 CA$51.5

-20.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 JMD 8,491

$49.81 CA$69.8

8.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,739

$45.34 CA$63.6

36.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 JMD 2,760

$12.13 CA$17.00

44.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 JMD 2,092

$12.55 CA$17.59

5.66%

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

$357 JMD 56.3K

$1,055 CA$1,479

-66.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K JMD 2.7M

$28.5K CA$39.9K

-38.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.44 JMD 3,699

$56.4 CA$79.1

-58.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.98 JMD 4,889

$34.37 CA$48.18

-9.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

$89.8 CA$126

-12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$94.3 CA$132

9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 JMD 150.0K

$1,738 CA$2,436

-45.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 JMD 89.8K

$1,528 CA$2,143

-62.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 JMD 331.1K

$3,107 CA$4,355

-32.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 JMD 223.8K

$2,547 CA$3,570

-44.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,921 JMD 460.9K

$8,540 CA$12.0K

-65.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 JMD 318.0K

$6,328 CA$8,870

-68.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 JMD 114.6K

$3,770 CA$5,284

-80.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.24

122.88%

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

Last update for Kingston: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$569 33.6%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 169% $960

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$381 22.5%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 4.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$254 15%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 31.2% $79

Eating Out

Kingston

$235 13.9%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 19.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$106 6.3%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 16.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$88 5.2%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 20.2% $18

Getting Around

Kingston

$59 3.5%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 78.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $951 in Kingston and $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vancouver pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Kingston vs $71 in Vancouver. Groceries flip the comparison at $381 vs $398, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

2 h behind Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

631,486

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.64 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kingston Vancouver 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Vancouver. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $951 in Kingston versus $1,738 in Vancouver. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $357 in Kingston versus $1,055 in Vancouver. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Vancouver. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,693 in Kingston versus $2,683 in Vancouver, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Vancouver. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston 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 – Kingston wins on affordability, Vancouver on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.