Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $44,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
239

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

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Portmore vs $4,950 in New York, NY, rent included.

Portmore $1,246
New York, NY $4,950

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Portmore vs $7,265 in New York, NY, rent included.

Portmore $2,073
New York, NY $7,265

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Portmore vs $9,581 in New York, NY, rent included.

Portmore $2,900
New York, NY $9,581

Portmore is about 75% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portmore sits 8% below the global median, while New York, NY is 267% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$24.65 $24.65

-58.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$122 $122

-47.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$13.91 $13.91

-42.20%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$6.59 $6.59

-17.60%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$3.84 $3.84

-76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$2.87 $2.87

-77.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$7.79 $7.79

-72.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$9.85 $9.85

-78.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.38 $1.38

118.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$4.68 $4.68

-25.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$7.54 $7.54

-86.47%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$5.93 $5.93

-39.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$18.83 $18.83

-38.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$17.36 $17.36

-63.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$18.51 $18.51

-49.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$6.74 $6.74

-11.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$2.09 $2.09

88.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$6.07 $6.07

-51.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$6.74 $6.74

-55.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$4.05 $4.05

-18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$4.37 $4.37

-40.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$2.89 $2.89

-44.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$2.60 $2.60

-51.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$18.72 $18.72

-48.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$20.06 $20.06

-43.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$3.25 $3.25

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$3.73 $3.73

-39.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$3.06 $3.06

-25.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$140 $140

-64.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$3.04 $3.04

-68.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$2.15 $2.15

43.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$41.82 $41.82

-85.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.12 $1.12

5.36%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$35.5K $35.5K

21.54%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$26.0K $26.0K

24.12%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$219 $219

-29.31%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$73.2 $73.2

-60.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$72.0 $72.0

-26.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$123 $123

-50.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$22.85 $22.85

-41.44%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$3,333 $3,333

-91.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$60.0K $60.0K

-94.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$75.2 $75.2

-69.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$52.4 $52.4

-40.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$122 $122

-35.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$133 $133

-29.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$4,389 $4,389

-92.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$3,130 $3,130

-93.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$8,918 $8,918

-92.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$5,354 $5,354

-88.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$19.4K $19.4K

-61.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$6,806 $6,806

-16.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$5,343 $5,343

-75.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

6.82

38.56%

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

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

New York, NY

$545 11% 62.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 54% $128

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1349% $2.9K

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 110% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 68.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 93.8% $81

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 120% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Portmore versus $4,389 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 311% higher in New York, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Portmore versus $122 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $545 – making Portmore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

19:23 7:23 PM

1 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Portmore
New York, NY

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

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

New York, NY costs about 297% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Portmore and $7,424 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portmore, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Portmore and $3,333 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in New York, NY, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in New York, NY at $4,950. In Portmore it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Portmore costs $1,246 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Portmore. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.