Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kingston

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Kingston: $1,614 and $1,668 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Medellin $1,614
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $2,812 in Kingston.

Medellin $2,402
Kingston $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $3,955 in Kingston.

Medellin $3,190
Kingston $3,955

Living in Medellin costs roughly 3% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.29 JMD 2,099

-40.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

-37.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.14 JMD 1,285

16.71%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$5.45 JMD 861

-42.94%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.14 JMD 180

60.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.72 JMD 115

91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.16 JMD 341

41.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.11 JMD 491

76.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$4.19 JMD 661

-65.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$3.78 JMD 598

-37.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.61 JMD 254

4.35%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.48 JMD 550

-17.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-10.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.35 JMD 1,003

50.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.40 JMD 1,644

35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$6.05 JMD 957

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$3.82 JMD 604

-60.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-70.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$3.06 JMD 484

-24.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$3.21 JMD 506

-39.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$2.62 JMD 415

-37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$3.13 JMD 494

-63.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$1.44 JMD 228

-13.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$9.48 JMD 1,498

-57.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$11.36 JMD 1,795

17.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.86 JMD 453

-40.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.88 JMD 613

-38.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.75 JMD 119

61.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$37.27 JMD 5,888

105.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.22 JMD 192

8.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$3.20 JMD 505

-33.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$6.31 JMD 996

34.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.39 JMD 219

-6.47%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-36.80%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

8.03%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$167 JMD 26.4K

3.17%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$29.86 JMD 4,717

-55.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$53.4 JMD 8,443

-46.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$61.9 JMD 9,787

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$17.61 JMD 2,782

-3.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$13.15 JMD 2,078

-52.24%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$359 JMD 56.7K

114.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

7.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$23.75 JMD 3,752

263.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$31.13 JMD 4,918

83.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

77.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$100 JMD 15.9K

-2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$975 JMD 154.0K

8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$563 JMD 89.0K

9.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

-11.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

-28.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

41.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

-17.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$735 JMD 116.1K

-11.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Kingston

$563 33.8% 8.6% $53

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Kingston

$384 23% 30.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Kingston

$250 15% 16.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 38.6% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 31% $52

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 38.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 52.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $975 in Kingston. 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $384 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Kingston 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $975 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Medellin versus $359 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,614 in Medellin versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Medellin but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Medellin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medellin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,614 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medellin hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Medellin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.