Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Jamaica

Name: Jamaica
Address: JM

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $1,472 in Jamaica, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
Learn more

Mexico Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
Learn more

Jamaica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in Jamaica

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

A single person spends $1,274 per month in Mexico vs $1,472 in Jamaica, rent included.

Mexico $1,274
Jamaica $1,472

A couple spends around $2,010 per month in Mexico vs $2,514 in Jamaica, rent included.

Mexico $2,010
Jamaica $2,514

A family of three spends $2,746 per month in Mexico vs $3,557 in Jamaica, rent included.

Mexico $2,746
Jamaica $3,557

Cost ranges are similar: Mexico spans $730–$2,625, Jamaica $8–$1,677. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Mexico is roughly 13% lower than in Jamaica on average.

Mexico sits 6% below the global median, while Jamaica is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 MX$200

$10.97 JMD 1,732

-3.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.29 MX$813

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

-43.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MX$168

$8.37 JMD 1,323

6.81%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.7

$4.57 JMD 721

-21.01%

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

$1.48 MX$27.70

$1.26 JMD 200

17.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.77

$0.72 JMD 114

38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$50.0

$2.19 JMD 345

21.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$82.0

$3.74 JMD 590

16.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.76

$3.87 JMD 611

-58.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.25 JMD 514

-17.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.57

$1.64 JMD 259

2.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.38

$3.98 JMD 629

-36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 MX$165

$11.80 JMD 1,864

-25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 MX$150

$8.16 JMD 1,289

-2.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$216

$8.84 JMD 1,397

30.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.7

$6.67 JMD 1,053

-58.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.61

$3.62 JMD 572

-58.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.70

$5.03 JMD 794

-61.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.93

$2.58 JMD 408

-23.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.84

$2.77 JMD 438

-29.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.08

$2.57 JMD 406

-21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.90

$2.62 JMD 414

-45.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.39

$1.36 JMD 216

-16.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$84.9

$10.60 JMD 1,674

-57.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$204

$12.19 JMD 1,926

-10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.14

$2.77 JMD 438

-36.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.27 JMD 517

-2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.64

$0.60 JMD 95.3

3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 MX$560

$37.31 JMD 5,895

-19.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.97

$0.90 JMD 143

195.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$3.19 JMD 504

-14.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$200

$7.04 JMD 1,112

50.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.36 JMD 215

2.94%

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

$24.0K MX$450.0K

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

-41.62%

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

$23.9K MX$449.0K

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

-17.97%

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

$69.2 MX$1,299

$151 JMD 23.8K

-54.06%

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

$23.51 MX$441

$27.18 JMD 4,294

-13.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 MX$544

$50.3 JMD 7,953

-42.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.74 MX$652

$54.5 JMD 8,607

-36.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 MX$328

$15.99 JMD 2,527

9.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$98.5

$13.11 JMD 2,071

-60.03%

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

$261 MX$4,892

$334 JMD 52.7K

-21.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,999 MX$112.6K

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

18.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,048

$29.04 JMD 4,588

92.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 MX$781

$29.03 JMD 4,586

43.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 MX$1,809

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

25.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,691

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

-1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MX$13.4K

$810 JMD 128.0K

-11.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,954

$441 JMD 69.7K

8.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 MX$25.5K

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

-23.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MX$17.0K

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

-21.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,597 MX$48.7K

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

-42.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MX$29.4K

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

-52.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$14.5K

$789 JMD 124.6K

-1.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.43

9.61

18.94%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$477 37.4%

Jamaica

$441 30% 7.5% $36

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$267 21%

Jamaica

$370 25.1% 38.4% $103

Eating Out

Mexico

$187 14.7%

Jamaica

$194 13.2% 3.7% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$128 10%

Jamaica

$102 6.9% 20.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$122 9.6%

Jamaica

$228 15.5% 87.5% $106

Getting Around

Mexico

$49 3.8%

Jamaica

$57 3.8% 16.5% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$45 3.6%

Jamaica

$81 5.5% 78.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $624 in Mexico vs $654 in Jamaica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,113 in Mexico City and $958 in Kingston.

Average salary: $722 in Mexico vs $793 in Jamaica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 5% higher in Jamaica.

Dining out costs 67% more in Jamaica.

Public transport is 42% more expensive in Jamaica.

Salaries are 10% higher in Jamaica.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

2,697,983

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico Jamaica 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
Jamaica

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

Mexico vs Jamaica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 13% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Jamaica: a central one-bedroom averages $654 versus $624 in Mexico.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mexico – part of why living there is about 13% cheaper overall.

Mexico is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.