Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $4,941 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $47,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,941

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Duncans

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

A single person spends $4,941 per month in New York, NY vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

New York, NY $4,941
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $7,225 per month in New York, NY vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

New York, NY $7,225
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $9,509 per month in New York, NY vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

New York, NY $9,509
Duncans $2,336

New York, NY costs about 389% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

New York, NY sits 263% above the global median, while Duncans is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.55 $28.55

$13.60 JMD 2,144

109.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

56.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.04 $15.04

$8.14 JMD 1,284

84.77%

Cappuccino

$6.53 $6.53

$5.44 JMD 858

20.04%

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

$3.96 $3.96

$1.14 JMD 180

247.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$0.71 JMD 111

323.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$2.25 JMD 355

262.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$3.21 JMD 507

206.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 $1.37

$4.15 JMD 655

-66.99%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.73 JMD 588

33.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.58 JMD 249

394.30%

Eggs

$5.97 $5.97

$3.58 JMD 565

66.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.91 $18.91

$11.50 JMD 1,813

64.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.04 $18.04

$6.21 JMD 979

190.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$10.34 JMD 1,631

84.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$6.01 JMD 947

12.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$3.97 JMD 625

-42.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.83 $6.83

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-9.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$3.02 JMD 476

134.77%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.32 JMD 523

27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.61 JMD 411

78.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$3.01 JMD 475

-4.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.43 JMD 226

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 $18.77

$9.48 JMD 1,494

98.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.13 $20.13

$11.25 JMD 1,775

78.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.78 JMD 439

24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.96 JMD 625

1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 $2.91

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.27 JMD 200

142.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$3.20 JMD 505

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$6.23 JMD 983

573.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.45 JMD 228

-19.31%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-21.79%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

-19.60%

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

$219 $219

$171 JMD 27.0K

28.09%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$29.64 JMD 4,674

150.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$51.8 JMD 8,166

35.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$74.9 $74.9

Cinema Ticket

$22.14 $22.14

$13.41 JMD 2,115

65.10%

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

$3,558 $3,558

$355 JMD 56.0K

901.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$62.2K $62.2K

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

648.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.6 $75.6

$23.91 JMD 3,771

216.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$31.38 JMD 4,949

63.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 $123

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

56.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$103 JMD 16.3K

35.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,499 $4,499

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,078 $3,078

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,447 $9,447

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,190 $5,190

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.1K $18.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,693 $6,693

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,220 $5,220

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

9.45

-27.41%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 26, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 62.3%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$563 11.4%

Duncans

$384 38% 31.8% $179

Eating Out

New York, NY

$440 8.9%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 49.2% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Duncans

$253 25% 30.5% $111

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$175 3.6%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 39.1% $69

Getting Around

New York, NY

$164 3.3%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 89.5% $147

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$156 3.2%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 82.8% $129

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in New York, NY versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $563 vs $384 – making Duncans the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

17:25 5:25 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

5,153

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

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New York, NY Duncans 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Duncans

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

New York, NY vs Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 389%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,412 per month in New York, NY and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,941 in New York, NY and $1,011 in Duncans. That makes Duncans about 80% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,558 per month in New York, NY and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in New York, NY at $4,941. In Duncans it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. New York, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $4,941 in New York, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.