Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Linstead and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Linstead: $1,004 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Linstead
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Linstead Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Linstead

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Linstead and in Kingston

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Linstead and in Kingston actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,004 in Linstead versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Linstead $1,004
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,661 in Linstead versus $2,812 in Kingston.

Linstead $1,661
Kingston $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,318 in Linstead versus $3,955 in Kingston.

Linstead $2,318
Kingston $3,955

Living in Linstead costs roughly 40% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Linstead is 26% below, Kingston is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.59 JMD 2,146

$13.29 JMD 2,099

2.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 JMD 1,256

$8.14 JMD 1,285

-2.33%

Cappuccino

$5.31 JMD 838

$5.45 JMD 861

-2.57%

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

$1.15 JMD 182

$1.14 JMD 180

0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$0.72 JMD 115

-5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$2.16 JMD 341

4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 JMD 483

$3.11 JMD 491

-1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 668

$4.19 JMD 661

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 JMD 586

$3.78 JMD 598

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$1.61 JMD 254

1.24%

Eggs

$3.52 JMD 555

$3.48 JMD 550

1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.50 JMD 1,817

$11.40 JMD 1,801

0.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,001

$6.35 JMD 1,003

-0.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 JMD 1,616

$10.40 JMD 1,644

-1.63%

Apples (1kg)

$6.16 JMD 974

$6.05 JMD 957

1.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.76 JMD 594

$3.82 JMD 604

-1.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$7.25 JMD 1,146

2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 492

$3.06 JMD 484

1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 JMD 520

$3.21 JMD 506

2.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 JMD 429

$2.62 JMD 415

3.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 478

$3.13 JMD 494

-3.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 JMD 236

$1.44 JMD 228

3.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.15 JMD 1,446

$9.48 JMD 1,498

-3.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 JMD 1,763

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-1.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 JMD 452

$2.86 JMD 453

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 JMD 641

$3.88 JMD 613

4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 JMD 119

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$1.22 JMD 192

-4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 485

$3.20 JMD 505

-4.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.26 JMD 989

$6.31 JMD 996

-0.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 230

$1.39 JMD 219

5.04%

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

$43.3K JMD 6.8M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-2.14%

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

$32.1K JMD 5.1M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-2.21%

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

$167 JMD 26.4K

-0.01%

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

$28.98 JMD 4,579

$29.86 JMD 4,717

-2.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 JMD 8,172

$53.4 JMD 8,443

-3.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 JMD 9,787

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 JMD 2,096

$13.15 JMD 2,078

0.91%

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

$354 JMD 55.8K

$359 JMD 56.7K

-1.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,378 JMD 1.3M

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

-0.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.16 JMD 3,659

$23.75 JMD 3,752

-2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.51 JMD 4,979

$31.13 JMD 4,918

1.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 JMD 12.5K

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.5K

$100 JMD 15.9K

3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 JMD 154.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 89.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 JMD 116.1K

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 Linstead: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Linstead

$386 38.4%

Kingston

$384 23% 0.4% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Linstead

$248 24.7%

Kingston

$250 15% 1.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Linstead

$221 22%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Linstead

$107 10.7%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 2.3% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Linstead

$27 * 2.6%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 233% $62

Getting Around

Linstead

$17 * 1.7%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 248% $41

Accommodation & Living

Linstead

- * 0%

Kingston

$563 33.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $74.0 in Linstead vs $74.0 in Kingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $384, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Linstead

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

Same time as Linstead

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,660

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Linstead Kingston 31 km

From you

Linstead
Kingston

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

Linstead vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linstead wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Linstead the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,506 in Linstead and $2,502 in Kingston 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.

Shoppers in Kingston pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,004 per month in Linstead versus $1,668 in Kingston – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,004 in Linstead versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Linstead but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Linstead 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.

Expats usually find Linstead gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.