Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,250 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Portmore versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Portmore $1,250
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,081 in Portmore versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Portmore $2,081
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,912 in Portmore versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Portmore $2,912
Kingston $3,980

Living in Portmore costs roughly 25% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portmore is 8% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 JMD 1,598

$13.80 JMD 2,180

-26.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 JMD 9,975

$75.1 JMD 11.9K

-15.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 JMD 1,262

$8.31 JMD 1,312

-3.85%

Cappuccino

$5.27 JMD 833

$5.36 JMD 847

-1.68%

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

$0.93 JMD 147

$1.19 JMD 188

-21.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 JMD 96.6

$0.74 JMD 117

-17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$2.26 JMD 358

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 JMD 345

$3.23 JMD 511

-32.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.18 JMD 502

$4.23 JMD 668

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 JMD 575

$3.86 JMD 610

-5.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 JMD 163

$1.64 JMD 259

-37.20%

Eggs

$3.44 JMD 544

$3.59 JMD 567

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 JMD 1,784

$11.55 JMD 1,824

-2.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 JMD 982

$6.23 JMD 985

-0.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.49 JMD 1,499

$10.22 JMD 1,615

-7.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 JMD 929

$6.07 JMD 958

-3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.94 JMD 622

$3.87 JMD 612

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$7.25 JMD 1,146

-58.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 JMD 477

$3.10 JMD 489

-2.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 JMD 509

$3.18 JMD 502

1.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$2.68 JMD 423

-4.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 JMD 245

$3.10 JMD 489

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 JMD 197

$1.43 JMD 227

-12.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.49 JMD 1,499

$9.33 JMD 1,474

1.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 JMD 1,811

$11.26 JMD 1,779

1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 JMD 454

$2.77 JMD 438

3.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$4.04 JMD 639

-46.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 JMD 355

$0.61 JMD 96.5

268.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 JMD 7,917

$38.10 JMD 6,019

31.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 JMD 145

$1.28 JMD 203

-28.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 JMD 494

$3.22 JMD 509

-2.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 JMD 1,017

$6.37 JMD 1,006

1.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 JMD 200

$1.42 JMD 224

-11.27%

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

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

0.87%

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

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-0.31%

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

$160 JMD 25.2K

$170 JMD 26.8K

-5.80%

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

$28.89 JMD 4,564

$29.16 JMD 4,608

-0.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 JMD 8,346

$53.8 JMD 8,496

-1.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 JMD 9,273

$61.7 JMD 9,742

-4.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,806

Cinema Ticket

$13.47 JMD 2,129

$13.46 JMD 2,127

0.07%

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

$281 JMD 44.4K

$363 JMD 57.4K

-22.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

-62.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.28 JMD 3,677

$23.39 JMD 3,695

-0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.19 JMD 4,928

$31.37 JMD 4,956

-0.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

-0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

$102 JMD 16.1K

-5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 JMD 49.7K

$958 JMD 151.3K

-67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 JMD 34.4K

$562 JMD 88.8K

-61.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 JMD 105.3K

$2,100 JMD 331.9K

-68.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 JMD 95.5K

$1,422 JMD 224.7K

-57.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

$2,849 JMD 450.1K

168.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

$2,072 JMD 327.4K

182.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

$750 JMD 118.5K

70.74%

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 Portmore: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$337 27%

Kingston

$385 23% 14.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$241 19.3%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 4.6% $11

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$218 17.4%

Kingston

$562 33.5% 158% $344

Eating Out

Portmore

$190 15.2%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 18.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 2.9% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$86 6.9%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 3.4% $3

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 23.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $315 in Portmore and $958 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portmore pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63 in Portmore vs $75 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $385 per month, with Portmore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

Same time as Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Portmore
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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

Portmore vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmore wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Portmore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Portmore, 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: $315 in Portmore versus $958 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $281 in Portmore versus $363 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Portmore is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Portmore is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Kingston, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.