Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
Learn more

Kingston Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $2,779 in Kingston.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Kingston $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $3,890 in Kingston.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Kingston $3,890

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 124% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$13.57 JMD 2,142

80.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

34.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$7.95 JMD 1,256

92.45%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$5.47 JMD 863

21.02%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.14 JMD 179

185.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.75 JMD 118

314.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.26 JMD 357

243.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.13 JMD 494

153.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$4.12 JMD 651

-70.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.79 JMD 598

30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.59 JMD 250

288.05%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.56 JMD 562

39.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$11.22 JMD 1,772

69.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$6.48 JMD 1,023

188.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$10.22 JMD 1,614

126.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$5.89 JMD 930

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$3.90 JMD 616

-50.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$7.34 JMD 1,159

-29.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$3.06 JMD 483

114.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$3.23 JMD 510

12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.67 JMD 421

18.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.05 JMD 481

-4.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.51 JMD 239

57.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$9.51 JMD 1,502

29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$11.32 JMD 1,787

32.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.82 JMD 446

52.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$4.10 JMD 647

38.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.78 JMD 123

291.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$37.32 JMD 5,893

190.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.24 JMD 195

112.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.18 JMD 503

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$6.46 JMD 1,020

364.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.42 JMD 224

2.82%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

-17.74%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-21.86%

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

$299 $299

$169 JMD 26.6K

77.53%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$29.11 JMD 4,597

139.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$52.9 JMD 8,360

70.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$62.5 JMD 9,869

27.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$17.63 JMD 2,783

102.04%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$13.28 JMD 2,097

30.50%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$357 JMD 56.4K

736.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

283.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$23.85 JMD 3,766

225.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$31.37 JMD 4,953

74.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$78.0 JMD 12.3K

61.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$102 JMD 16.0K

62.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$957 JMD 151.1K

151.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$576 JMD 91.0K

240.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$2,139 JMD 337.7K

123.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,391 JMD 219.7K

155.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$2,892 JMD 456.6K

156.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$2,080 JMD 328.4K

140.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$733 JMD 115.7K

757.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

9.45

-27.51%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Kingston

$576 34.2% 70.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Kingston

$384 22.8% 29% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Kingston

$251 14.9% 45.4% $209

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Kingston

$223 13.2% 44.5% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 44.6% $85

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Kingston

$58 3.4% 56.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 22.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $957 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 757% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $384 per month, with Kingston cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Kingston 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Kingston

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

Seattle, WA vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 124% lower than in Seattle, WA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 757% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA versus $957 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,986 in Seattle, WA versus $357 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 124% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.