Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Harbour and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,668 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $998 in Old Harbour versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Old Harbour $998
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,652 in Old Harbour versus $2,812 in Kingston.

Old Harbour $1,652
Kingston $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,305 in Old Harbour versus $3,955 in Kingston.

Old Harbour $2,305
Kingston $3,955

Living in Old Harbour costs roughly 40% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Old Harbour is 26% below, Kingston is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 JMD 2,138

$13.29 JMD 2,099

1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$73.8 JMD 11.7K

0.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 JMD 1,253

$8.14 JMD 1,285

-2.58%

Cappuccino

$5.24 JMD 828

$5.45 JMD 861

-3.85%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$1.14 JMD 180

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 JMD 115

$0.72 JMD 115

1.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$2.16 JMD 341

0.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$3.11 JMD 491

1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.03 JMD 636

$4.19 JMD 661

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$3.78 JMD 598

-0.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.61 JMD 254

-1.24%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$3.48 JMD 550

-0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 JMD 1,783

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-1.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$6.35 JMD 1,003

0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,628

$10.40 JMD 1,644

-0.96%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 963

$6.05 JMD 957

0.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$3.82 JMD 604

-0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$7.25 JMD 1,146

2.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 519

$3.21 JMD 506

2.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$2.62 JMD 415

3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 479

$3.13 JMD 494

-3.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.44 JMD 228

0.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 JMD 1,459

$9.48 JMD 1,498

-2.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,803

$11.36 JMD 1,795

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.86 JMD 453

-2.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 JMD 633

$3.88 JMD 613

3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 JMD 119

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.27 JMD 5,888

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$1.22 JMD 192

-4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 486

$3.20 JMD 505

-4.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.13 JMD 968

$6.31 JMD 996

-2.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.39 JMD 219

5.76%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

1.11%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

0.12%

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

$164 JMD 26.0K

$167 JMD 26.4K

-1.52%

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

$29.43 JMD 4,650

$29.86 JMD 4,717

-1.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,374

$53.4 JMD 8,443

-0.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 JMD 9,787

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 JMD 2,782

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 JMD 2,062

$13.15 JMD 2,078

-0.76%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$359 JMD 56.7K

0.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

$8,382 JMD 1.3M

0.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 JMD 3,710

$23.75 JMD 3,752

-1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 JMD 5,053

$31.13 JMD 4,918

2.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$76.9 JMD 12.2K

-0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$100 JMD 15.9K

3.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 JMD 154.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 89.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 JMD 338.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 JMD 224.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,876 JMD 454.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,044 JMD 323.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 JMD 116.1K

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 Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Old Harbour

$383 38.4%

Kingston

$384 23% 0.4% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Harbour

$247 24.7%

Kingston

$250 15% 1.4% $3.4

Eating Out

Old Harbour

$220 22%

Kingston

$221 13.2% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Old Harbour

$106 10.6%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 1.4% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6%

Kingston

$88 5.3% 238% $62

Getting Around

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7%

Kingston

$57 3.5% 248% $41

Accommodation & Living

Old Harbour

- * 0%

Kingston

$563 33.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $74.0 in Old Harbour vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $384 per month, with Old Harbour cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

Same time as Old Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,024

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Old Harbour Kingston 34 km

From you

Old Harbour
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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

Old Harbour vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Old Harbour wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Old Harbour the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,497 in Old Harbour and $2,502 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $998 per month in Old Harbour versus $1,668 in Kingston – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $998 in Old Harbour versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Old Harbour but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Old Harbour the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Old Harbour gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.