Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,169 in Montego Bay versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Montego Bay $1,169
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,160 in Montego Bay versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Montego Bay $2,160
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,152 in Montego Bay versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Montego Bay $3,152
Kingston $3,980

Living in Montego Bay costs roughly 30% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montego Bay is 14% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 JMD 1,755

$13.80 JMD 2,180

-19.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

1.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 JMD 1,316

$8.31 JMD 1,312

0.24%

Cappuccino

$5.38 JMD 850

$5.36 JMD 847

0.37%

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

$0.86 JMD 136

$1.19 JMD 188

-27.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 JMD 352

$2.26 JMD 358

-1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$3.23 JMD 511

-0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 JMD 514

$4.23 JMD 668

-23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 JMD 418

$3.86 JMD 610

-31.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 218

$1.64 JMD 259

-15.85%

Eggs

$3.50 JMD 553

$3.59 JMD 567

-2.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 JMD 1,801

$11.55 JMD 1,824

-1.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 JMD 1,004

$6.23 JMD 985

1.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 JMD 1,403

$10.22 JMD 1,615

-13.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 JMD 676

$6.07 JMD 958

-29.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 JMD 404

$3.87 JMD 612

-33.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.18 JMD 1,134

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-0.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 JMD 405

$3.10 JMD 489

-17.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 JMD 395

$3.18 JMD 502

-21.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 412

$2.68 JMD 423

-2.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 JMD 395

$3.10 JMD 489

-19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 JMD 127

$1.43 JMD 227

-44.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 JMD 1,501

$9.33 JMD 1,474

1.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 JMD 1,812

$11.26 JMD 1,779

1.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 JMD 457

$2.77 JMD 438

4.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 JMD 621

$4.04 JMD 639

-2.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 JMD 150

$0.61 JMD 96.5

55.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 JMD 144

$1.28 JMD 203

-28.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$3.22 JMD 509

-1.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 JMD 1,000

$6.37 JMD 1,006

-0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.42 JMD 224

-2.11%

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

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-0.14%

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

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

0.65%

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

$167 JMD 26.3K

$170 JMD 26.8K

-1.69%

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

$22.32 JMD 3,526

$29.16 JMD 4,608

-23.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 JMD 7,426

$53.8 JMD 8,496

-12.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.62 JMD 6,892

$61.7 JMD 9,742

-29.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

Cinema Ticket

$8.63 JMD 1,363

$13.46 JMD 2,127

-35.88%

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

$365 JMD 57.7K

$363 JMD 57.4K

0.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,368 JMD 1.3M

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

-0.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.16 JMD 3,659

$23.39 JMD 3,695

-0.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.56 JMD 4,986

$31.37 JMD 4,956

0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 JMD 10.9K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

-10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.2K

$102 JMD 16.1K

0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 JMD 49.4K

$958 JMD 151.3K

-67.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 JMD 34.8K

$562 JMD 88.8K

-60.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 JMD 150.3K

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

-54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 JMD 150.9K

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

-32.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 450.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 327.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 JMD 93.2K

$750 JMD 118.5K

-21.33%

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 Montego Bay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$327 28%

Kingston

$385 23% 17.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$236 20.2%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 7% $16

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$220 18.8%

Kingston

$562 33.5% 156% $342

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$202 17.3%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$102 8.7%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 3.4% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$61 5.2%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 45.5% $28

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 182% $37

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 $313 in Montego Bay and $958 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 27% 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: $76 in Montego Bay vs $75 in Kingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $327 vs $385, with Montego Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

Same time as Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 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

Montego Bay vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montego Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montego Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Montego Bay. 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: $313 in Montego Bay versus $958 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,169 per month in Montego Bay versus $1,677 in Kingston – Montego Bay is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Montego Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

It comes down to priorities – Montego Bay wins on affordability, Kingston on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.