Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocho Rios and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,092 a month against $1,693 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,092

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,092 in Ocho Rios versus $1,693 in Kingston.

Ocho Rios $1,092
Kingston $1,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Ocho Rios versus $2,846 in Kingston.

Ocho Rios $1,574
Kingston $2,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,057 in Ocho Rios versus $3,998 in Kingston.

Ocho Rios $2,057
Kingston $3,998

Living in Ocho Rios costs roughly 35% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ocho Rios is 19% below, Kingston is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 JMD 1,476

$15.53 JMD 2,449

-39.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 JMD 10.1K

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-15.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.78 JMD 1,070

$8.06 JMD 1,271

-15.88%

Cappuccino

$3.10 JMD 488

$5.26 JMD 829

-41.06%

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

$1.14 JMD 179

$1.14 JMD 180

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 JMD 108

$0.70 JMD 111

-1.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 356

$2.05 JMD 323

10.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 JMD 502

$3.10 JMD 489

2.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.82 JMD 603

$4.04 JMD 637

-5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 JMD 418

$3.68 JMD 580

-27.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 JMD 258

$1.56 JMD 245

4.49%

Eggs

$3.55 JMD 560

$3.59 JMD 567

-1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 JMD 1,822

$11.36 JMD 1,792

1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 JMD 999

$6.14 JMD 968

3.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 JMD 1,645

$10.22 JMD 1,612

2.05%

Apples (1kg)

$6.15 JMD 970

$6.21 JMD 980

-0.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 508

$3.86 JMD 609

-16.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.47 JMD 1,021

$7.13 JMD 1,124

-9.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$2.96 JMD 466

-14.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 JMD 522

$3.20 JMD 505

3.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 406

$2.72 JMD 429

-5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.88 JMD 454

$3.12 JMD 492

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 230

$1.50 JMD 236

-2.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 JMD 1,427

$9.25 JMD 1,459

-2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.73 JMD 1,535

$11.30 JMD 1,782

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.87 JMD 453

-2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 617

$3.93 JMD 620

-0.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 JMD 144

$0.61 JMD 95.8

49.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.17 JMD 6,019

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 201

$2.40 JMD 378

-46.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 JMD 507

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.20 JMD 978

$6.27 JMD 989

-1.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 JMD 227

$1.47 JMD 232

-2.04%

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

$43.3K JMD 6.8M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-2.23%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-2.02%

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

$170 JMD 26.7K

$171 JMD 27.0K

-0.80%

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

$19.81 JMD 3,124

$29.11 JMD 4,590

-31.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 JMD 8,319

$53.8 JMD 8,486

-1.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,733

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.49 JMD 2,758

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 JMD 1,755

$13.26 JMD 2,091

-16.06%

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

$357 JMD 56.4K

$357 JMD 56.3K

0.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,211 JMD 1.3M

$17.4K JMD 2.7M

-52.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.76 JMD 3,747

$23.44 JMD 3,697

1.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.05 JMD 5,055

$30.98 JMD 4,885

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 JMD 12.2K

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

-1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 JMD 16.5K

$103 JMD 16.3K

1.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 JMD 59.0K

$951 JMD 149.9K

-60.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 JMD 29.2K

$569 JMD 89.7K

-67.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 JMD 330.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 JMD 223.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,921 JMD 460.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 JMD 317.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$726 JMD 114.5K

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 Ocho Rios: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kingston: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ocho Rios

$357 32.7%

Kingston

$381 22.5% 6.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2%

Kingston

$254 15% 4.8% $12

Accommodation & Living

Ocho Rios

$185 17%

Kingston

$569 33.6% 207% $384

Eating Out

Ocho Rios

$157 14.4%

Kingston

$235 13.9% 49.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Ocho Rios

$107 9.8%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ocho Rios

$22 * 2%

Kingston

$88 5.2% 296% $66

Getting Around

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9%

Kingston

$59 3.5% 181% $38

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 $374 in Ocho Rios and $951 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64 in Ocho Rios vs $76 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $381 per month, with Ocho Rios cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

Same time as Ocho Rios

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,503

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Ocho Rios vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ocho Rios wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ocho Rios the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,638 in Ocho Rios and $2,539 in Kingston to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $374 in Ocho Rios versus $951 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,092 per month in Ocho Rios versus $1,693 in Kingston – Ocho Rios is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,092 in Ocho Rios versus $1,693 in Kingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.