Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lucea and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $999 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
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Lucea Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$999

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lucea 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 Lucea and in Kingston actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $999 in Lucea versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Lucea $999
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,656 in Lucea versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Lucea $1,656
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,313 in Lucea versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Lucea $2,313
Kingston $3,980

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Lucea is 27% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 JMD 2,096

$13.80 JMD 2,175

-3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 JMD 11.8K

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,317

$8.31 JMD 1,310

0.48%

Cappuccino

$5.20 JMD 820

$5.36 JMD 846

-2.99%

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

$1.20 JMD 188

$1.19 JMD 188

0.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$0.74 JMD 116

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 342

$2.26 JMD 357

-3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 JMD 490

$3.23 JMD 510

-3.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.23 JMD 667

White Bread (500g)

$3.67 JMD 579

$3.86 JMD 609

-4.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 246

$1.64 JMD 258

-4.88%

Eggs

$3.51 JMD 553

$3.59 JMD 565

-2.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,787

$11.55 JMD 1,821

-1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.28 JMD 991

$6.23 JMD 983

0.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 JMD 1,634

$10.22 JMD 1,612

1.37%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 JMD 973

$6.07 JMD 957

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$3.87 JMD 610

1.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 JMD 1,179

$7.25 JMD 1,144

3.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 JMD 492

$3.10 JMD 488

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 JMD 501

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 426

$2.68 JMD 422

0.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 JMD 493

$3.10 JMD 488

0.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 JMD 236

$1.43 JMD 226

4.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.20 JMD 1,451

$9.33 JMD 1,471

-1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 JMD 1,767

$11.26 JMD 1,775

-0.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 JMD 440

$2.77 JMD 438

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 JMD 636

$4.04 JMD 637

-0.25%

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)

$1.29 JMD 203

$1.28 JMD 202

0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 484

$3.22 JMD 508

-4.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.38 JMD 1,006

$6.37 JMD 1,004

0.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.42 JMD 223

2.11%

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

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-0.05%

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

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

1.21%

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

$166 JMD 26.1K

$170 JMD 26.7K

-2.38%

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

$28.97 JMD 4,568

$29.16 JMD 4,599

-0.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 JMD 8,180

$53.8 JMD 8,480

-3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,723

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,801

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 JMD 2,091

$13.46 JMD 2,123

-1.49%

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

$359 JMD 56.6K

$363 JMD 57.3K

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,142 JMD 1.3M

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

-2.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.01 JMD 3,786

$23.39 JMD 3,688

2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.87 JMD 4,868

$31.37 JMD 4,946

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 JMD 12.4K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

2.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 16.0K

$102 JMD 16.1K

-0.36%

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

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

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

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 Lucea: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lucea

$386 38.6%

Kingston

$385 23% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lucea

$246 24.7%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 2.5% $6.1

Eating Out

Lucea

$218 21.9%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 3.1% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Lucea

$106 10.6%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lucea

$27 * 2.7%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 234% $62

Getting Around

Lucea

$17 * 1.7%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 248% $41

Accommodation & Living

Lucea

- * 0%

Kingston

$562 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $75 in Lucea vs $75 in Kingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $385, with Kingston cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Lucea

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

Same time as Lucea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,377

660,000 Capital

💱 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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Lucea Kingston 160 km

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Lucea
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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

Lucea vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,499 in Lucea and $2,515 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.

Childcare runs $359 in Lucea versus $363 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $999 per month in Lucea versus $1,677 in Kingston – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lucea 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.