Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Santiago

For one person, living costs are similar in Portmore and in Santiago: $1,246 and $1,190 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
Learn more

Santiago Living Index

Jump to prices

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portmore and in Santiago

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 Santiago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Portmore vs $1,190 in Santiago, rent included.

Portmore $1,246
Santiago $1,190

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Portmore vs $1,892 in Santiago, rent included.

Portmore $2,073
Santiago $1,892

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Portmore vs $2,595 in Santiago, rent included.

Portmore $2,900
Santiago $2,595

Portmore costs about 5% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portmore and Santiago are more affordable than the global median – Portmore 8% lower, Santiago 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

-2.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

22.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$8.94 CLP 8,805

-10.07%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$3.26 CLP 3,211

66.56%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-46.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-46.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-45.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-52.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.28 CLP 1,263

135.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$1.85 CLP 1,817

88.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$1.59 CLP 1,567

-35.85%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-11.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$6.69 CLP 6,586

-5.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

-12.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$1.94 CLP 1,905

208.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$1.52 CLP 1,497

158.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$1.60 CLP 1,577

85.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$1.69 CLP 1,668

78.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$1.10 CLP 1,084

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$1.52 CLP 1,500

71.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.18 CLP 1,164

34.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$1.08 CLP 1,061

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$5.07 CLP 4,995

90.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$5.95 CLP 5,858

88.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$1.49 CLP 1,470

88.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$2.38 CLP 2,342

-5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$0.83 CLP 821

175.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

25.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$0.40 CLP 393

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$0.91 CLP 897

239.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

-46.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-21.85%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

145.16%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

47.00%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$151 CLP 149.0K

2.25%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

135.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

181.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

78.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$7.45 CLP 7,334

79.60%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$430 CLP 423.7K

-33.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

-70.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

-53.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

19.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

17.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$559 CLP 550.4K

-45.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$384 CLP 377.8K

-43.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

-34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$780 CLP 767.9K

-24.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

182.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

123.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$804 CLP 791.0K

61.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.39

75.32%

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

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 29.8% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 22.8% $54

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 77.7% $168

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 1.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 1.1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 44.1% $38

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 36.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Portmore versus $559 in Santiago. 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 62% higher in Portmore, 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 $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

2 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portmore Santiago 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmore costs about 5% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,785 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 25% less in Santiago. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Portmore and $430 in Santiago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Portmore at $1,246. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portmore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santiago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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