Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Kingston, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $1,677 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Spanish Town versus $1,677 in Kingston.

Spanish Town $1,009
Kingston $1,677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,922 in Spanish Town versus $2,829 in Kingston.

Spanish Town $1,922
Kingston $2,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,834 in Spanish Town versus $3,980 in Kingston.

Spanish Town $2,834
Kingston $3,980

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Spanish Town is 26% below, Kingston is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 JMD 2,158

$13.80 JMD 2,175

-0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 JMD 1,328

$8.31 JMD 1,310

1.32%

Cappuccino

$5.23 JMD 824

$5.36 JMD 846

-2.43%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

$1.19 JMD 188

-2.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.74 JMD 116

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$2.26 JMD 357

-3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 499

$3.23 JMD 510

-1.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.21 JMD 665

$4.23 JMD 667

-0.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 JMD 582

$3.86 JMD 609

-4.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 259

$1.64 JMD 258

Eggs

$3.53 JMD 557

$3.59 JMD 565

-1.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 JMD 1,801

$11.55 JMD 1,821

-1.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 JMD 1,000

$6.23 JMD 983

1.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 JMD 1,604

$10.22 JMD 1,612

-0.49%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 JMD 958

$6.07 JMD 957

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 JMD 602

$3.87 JMD 610

-1.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.56 JMD 1,193

$7.25 JMD 1,144

4.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 JMD 469

$3.10 JMD 488

-4.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 509

$3.18 JMD 501

1.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 JMD 320

$2.68 JMD 422

-24.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.13 JMD 493

$3.10 JMD 488

0.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 229

$1.43 JMD 226

2.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.58 JMD 1,510

$9.33 JMD 1,471

2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 JMD 1,804

$11.26 JMD 1,775

1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 JMD 455

$2.77 JMD 438

3.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 JMD 616

$4.04 JMD 637

-3.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 JMD 96.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.10 JMD 6,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 JMD 202

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 JMD 490

$3.22 JMD 508

-3.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 979

$6.37 JMD 1,004

-2.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 JMD 222

$1.42 JMD 223

-0.70%

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

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

0.20%

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

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-0.74%

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

$171 JMD 26.9K

$170 JMD 26.7K

0.72%

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

$28.96 JMD 4,567

$29.16 JMD 4,599

-0.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 JMD 8,298

$53.8 JMD 8,480

-2.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 JMD 9,723

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 JMD 2,801

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 JMD 2,101

$13.46 JMD 2,123

-1.04%

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

$360 JMD 56.8K

$363 JMD 57.3K

-0.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

$8,388 JMD 1.3M

-0.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.26 JMD 3,667

$23.39 JMD 3,688

-0.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.95 JMD 5,038

$31.37 JMD 4,946

1.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

$77.3 JMD 12.2K

2.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$102 JMD 16.1K

2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 JMD 151.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 JMD 88.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 JMD 98.4K

$2,100 JMD 331.2K

-70.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 JMD 80.9K

$1,422 JMD 224.3K

-63.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,849 JMD 449.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,072 JMD 326.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

$750 JMD 118.3K

57.02%

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 Spanish Town: 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

Spanish Town

$383 38%

Kingston

$385 23% 0.5% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$252 25%

Kingston

$252 15.1% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$222 22%

Kingston

$225 13.4% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$107 10.6%

Kingston

$105 6.3% 2% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 232% $62

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7%

Kingston

$58 3.5% 245% $41

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Kingston

$562 33.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Spanish Town pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $74 in Spanish Town vs $75 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $385 per month, with Spanish Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

Same time as Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Spanish Town Kingston 17 km

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Spanish Town wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Spanish Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Spanish Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $360 in Spanish Town versus $363 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,009 per month in Spanish Town versus $1,677 in Kingston – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

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.