Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $41,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $5,142 in New York, NY versus $1,668 in Kingston.

New York, NY $5,142
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,455 in New York, NY versus $2,779 in Kingston.

New York, NY $7,455
Kingston $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,767 in New York, NY versus $3,890 in Kingston.

New York, NY $9,767
Kingston $3,890

Living in New York, NY is roughly 208% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 284% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$13.57 JMD 2,142

94.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

60.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$7.95 JMD 1,256

81.51%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$5.47 JMD 863

19.74%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$1.14 JMD 179

236.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$0.75 JMD 118

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$2.26 JMD 357

265.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.13 JMD 494

221.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$4.12 JMD 651

-68.20%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.79 JMD 598

29.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.59 JMD 250

350.31%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$3.56 JMD 562

66.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$11.22 JMD 1,772

69.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$6.48 JMD 1,023

168.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$10.22 JMD 1,614

85.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$5.89 JMD 930

18.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$3.90 JMD 616

-46.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$7.34 JMD 1,159

-16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.06 JMD 483

127.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.23 JMD 510

23.22%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.67 JMD 421

66.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.05 JMD 481

-7.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.51 JMD 239

66.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$9.51 JMD 1,502

102.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$11.32 JMD 1,787

73.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.82 JMD 446

9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$4.10 JMD 647

-10.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.78 JMD 123

287.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$37.32 JMD 5,893

273.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.24 JMD 195

147.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$3.18 JMD 503

-33.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$6.46 JMD 1,020

537.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.42 JMD 224

-21.83%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

-21.65%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-22.72%

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

$217 $217

$169 JMD 26.6K

28.95%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$29.11 JMD 4,597

154.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$52.9 JMD 8,360

36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$62.5 JMD 9,869

92.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$17.63 JMD 2,783

279.41%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$13.28 JMD 2,097

68.07%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$357 JMD 56.4K

859.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

649.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$23.85 JMD 3,766

219.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$31.37 JMD 4,953

76.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$78.0 JMD 12.3K

52.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$102 JMD 16.0K

28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$957 JMD 151.1K

370.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$576 JMD 91.0K

447.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$2,139 JMD 337.7K

312.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$1,391 JMD 219.7K

297.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$2,892 JMD 456.6K

570.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$2,080 JMD 328.4K

224.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$733 JMD 115.7K

622.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

9.45

-27.83%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Kingston

$576 34.2% 81.7% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Kingston

$384 22.8% 29.6% $162

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Kingston

$223 13.2% 47.2% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Kingston

$251 14.9% 31.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 38.5% $66

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Kingston

$58 3.4% 65.2% $108

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 46.1% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,506 in New York, NY and $957 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 622% 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: $119 in New York, NY vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $546 vs $384 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Kingston 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
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

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

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 208% lower than in New York, NY. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 622% higher in New York, NY, 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: $4,506 in New York, NY versus $957 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,425 in New York, NY versus $357 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $5,142 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.