Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandeville and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandeville: $810 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Mandeville
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Mandeville Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Mandeville

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$810

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $810 in Mandeville versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Mandeville $810
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Mandeville versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Mandeville $1,395
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,980 in Mandeville versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Mandeville $1,980
Kingston $3,980

Living in Mandeville costs roughly 52% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mandeville is 40% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 JMD 1,021

$13.80 JMD 2,175

-53.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.4 JMD 11.6K

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-2.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,268

$8.31 JMD 1,310

-3.25%

Cappuccino

$2.24 JMD 353

$5.36 JMD 846

-58.21%

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

$1.12 JMD 176

$1.19 JMD 188

-5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 JMD 108

$0.74 JMD 116

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 344

$2.26 JMD 357

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 JMD 450

$3.23 JMD 510

-11.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.25 JMD 670

$4.23 JMD 667

0.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 JMD 279

$3.86 JMD 609

-54.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 JMD 246

$1.64 JMD 258

-4.88%

Eggs

$3.63 JMD 572

$3.59 JMD 565

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 JMD 1,830

$11.55 JMD 1,821

0.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 JMD 983

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,612

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 944

$6.07 JMD 957

-1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.84 JMD 605

$3.87 JMD 610

-0.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.15 JMD 1,127

$7.25 JMD 1,144

-1.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 JMD 484

$3.10 JMD 488

-0.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 JMD 515

$3.18 JMD 501

2.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 413

$2.68 JMD 422

-2.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 JMD 497

$3.10 JMD 488

1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 JMD 235

$1.43 JMD 226

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,520

$9.33 JMD 1,471

3.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.36 JMD 1,791

$11.26 JMD 1,775

0.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 JMD 463

$2.77 JMD 438

6.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 JMD 647

$4.04 JMD 637

1.49%

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)

$1.24 JMD 196

$1.28 JMD 202

-3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 504

$3.22 JMD 508

-0.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 JMD 1,013

$6.37 JMD 1,004

0.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.42 JMD 223

3.52%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-0.66%

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

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

1.15%

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

$95.0 JMD 15.0K

$170 JMD 26.7K

-43.94%

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

$22.22 JMD 3,505

$29.16 JMD 4,599

-23.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 JMD 8,033

$53.8 JMD 8,480

-5.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,723

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,801

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 JMD 2,095

$13.46 JMD 2,123

-1.34%

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

$365 JMD 57.6K

$363 JMD 57.3K

0.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,207 JMD 1.3M

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

-2.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.80 JMD 3,753

$23.39 JMD 3,688

1.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.27 JMD 4,932

$31.37 JMD 4,946

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

-0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.3K

$102 JMD 16.1K

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 JMD 73.6K

$958 JMD 151.0K

-51.28%

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 Mandeville: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mandeville

$366 45.1%

Kingston

$385 23% 5.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandeville

$168 20.8%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 50.1% $84

Eating Out

Mandeville

$127 15.6%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 77.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Mandeville

$106 13.1%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mandeville

$27 * 3.3%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 233% $62

Getting Around

Mandeville

$17 * 2.1%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 237% $41

Accommodation & Living

Mandeville

- * 0%

Kingston

$562 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $467 in Mandeville and $958 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Mandeville vs $75 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $385 per month, with Mandeville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Mandeville

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Mandeville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,115

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

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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

Mandeville vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandeville wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mandeville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,215 in Mandeville 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $467 in Mandeville versus $958 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $810 per month in Mandeville versus $1,677 in Kingston – Mandeville is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $810 in Mandeville versus $1,677 in Kingston, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandeville but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Mandeville 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.