Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Msida and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,677 a month against $1,805 in Msida, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Msida outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Msida
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Msida Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Msida

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,805

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,805 in Msida versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Msida $1,805
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,670 in Msida versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Msida $2,670
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,536 in Msida versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Msida $3,536
Kingston $3,980

Living in Msida is roughly 8% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Msida 33% above, Kingston 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 €10.08

$13.80 JMD 2,180

-18.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 €44.69

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

-33.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 €9.57

$8.31 JMD 1,312

29.00%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €2.02

$5.36 JMD 847

-57.84%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.19 JMD 188

89.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.74 JMD 117

48.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.11

$2.26 JMD 358

103.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.08

$3.23 JMD 511

6.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$4.23 JMD 668

-73.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$3.86 JMD 610

-65.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 €3.98

$1.64 JMD 259

171.95%

Eggs

$2.65 €2.36

$3.59 JMD 567

-26.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 €7.57

$11.55 JMD 1,824

-26.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.44 €9.31

$6.23 JMD 985

67.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.08 €16.13

$10.22 JMD 1,615

76.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 €3.81

$6.07 JMD 958

-29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.87 JMD 612

-26.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-49.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$3.10 JMD 489

7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.18 JMD 502

-30.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.68 JMD 423

-29.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 €2.10

$3.10 JMD 489

-24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.43 JMD 227

-9.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$9.33 JMD 1,474

-29.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 €7.21

$11.26 JMD 1,779

-28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.77 JMD 438

-38.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$4.04 JMD 639

-40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.61 JMD 96.5

257.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.86

$1.28 JMD 203

325.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.94

$3.22 JMD 509

-32.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.80 €23.91

$6.37 JMD 1,006

320.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.42 JMD 224

4.93%

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

$37.1K €33.1K

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-15.57%

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

$39.7K €35.4K

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

21.09%

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

$84.8 €75.6

$170 JMD 26.8K

-49.99%

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

$25.53 €22.78

$29.16 JMD 4,608

-12.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.62 €24.64

$53.8 JMD 8,496

-48.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 €50.3

$61.7 JMD 9,742

-8.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.89

$13.46 JMD 2,127

-26.00%

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

$363 €324

$363 JMD 57.4K

-0.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K €9,770

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

30.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.0 €76.7

$23.39 JMD 3,695

267.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.84 €35.55

$31.37 JMD 4,956

27.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 €87.7

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

27.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 €70.1

$102 JMD 16.1K

-22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €935

$958 JMD 151.3K

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 €818

$562 JMD 88.8K

63.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 €1,627

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

-13.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 €1,325

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

4.40%

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)

$2,734 €2,440

$750 JMD 118.5K

264.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

9.45

-69.31%

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

Last update for Msida: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Msida

$917 50.8%

Kingston

$562 33.5% 38.7% $355

Groceries & Markets

Msida

$320 17.7%

Kingston

$385 23% 20.6% $66

Eating Out

Msida

$193 10.7%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 16.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Msida

$138 7.6%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 83% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Msida

$136 7.6%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 22.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Msida

$76 4.2%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 16.2% $12

Getting Around

Msida

$25 * 1.4%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 131% $33

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 $1,048 in Msida and $958 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Msida pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Msida vs $75 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $385 per month, with Msida cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Msida

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

6 h behind Msida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Msida Kingston 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Msida
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

Msida vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Msida. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Msida is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,048 in Msida versus $958 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Msida pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,805 per month in Msida versus $1,677 in Kingston – Kingston is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kingston gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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