Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Jamaica

Name: Jamaica
Address: JM

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamaica: $1,472 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Jamaica
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Jamaica Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Jamaica

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Jamaica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,472 in Jamaica, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Jamaica $1,472

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,514 in Jamaica, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Jamaica $2,514

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,557 in Jamaica, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Jamaica $3,557

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Jamaica ($8–$1,677), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 67% higher than in Jamaica on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Jamaica are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, Jamaica by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$10.97 JMD 1,732

95.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$76.4 JMD 12.1K

12.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$8.37 JMD 1,323

26.76%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$4.57 JMD 721

7.44%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.26 JMD 200

111.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.72 JMD 114

159.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$2.19 JMD 345

202.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$3.74 JMD 590

82.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$3.87 JMD 611

-56.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$3.25 JMD 514

-47.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.64 JMD 259

32.32%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$3.98 JMD 629

0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$11.80 JMD 1,864

-20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$8.16 JMD 1,289

12.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$8.84 JMD 1,397

67.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$6.67 JMD 1,053

-55.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$3.62 JMD 572

-55.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$5.03 JMD 794

-43.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$2.58 JMD 408

36.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$2.77 JMD 438

-33.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.57 JMD 406

-37.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$2.62 JMD 414

-52.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.36 JMD 216

22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$10.60 JMD 1,674

123.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$12.19 JMD 1,926

-13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$2.77 JMD 438

7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$3.27 JMD 517

7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.60 JMD 95.3

563.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$37.31 JMD 5,895

187.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$0.90 JMD 143

475.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$3.19 JMD 504

-26.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$7.04 JMD 1,112

281.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.36 JMD 215

46.32%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$41.1K JMD 6.5M

-3.92%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$29.2K JMD 4.6M

38.86%

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

$327 £244

$151 JMD 23.8K

117.25%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$27.18 JMD 4,294

-33.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$50.3 JMD 7,953

-13.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$54.5 JMD 8,607

-22.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$15.99 JMD 2,527

13.95%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$13.11 JMD 2,071

5.64%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$334 JMD 52.7K

459.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$5,076 JMD 802.0K

345.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$29.04 JMD 4,588

220.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$29.03 JMD 4,586

58.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

32.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$91.8 JMD 14.5K

11.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$810 JMD 128.0K

65.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$441 JMD 69.7K

143.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$1,782 JMD 281.5K

25.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$1,151 JMD 181.9K

51.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$4,486 JMD 708.7K

24.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$3,316 JMD 523.9K

28.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$789 JMD 124.6K

324.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

9.61

-44.64%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jamaica: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Jamaica

$441 30% 58.9% $632

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Jamaica

$228 15.5% 41.4% $161

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Jamaica

$194 13.2% 40.8% $134

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Jamaica

$370 25.1% 20.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Jamaica

$102 6.9% 33.8% $52

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Jamaica

$57 3.8% 59.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Jamaica

$81 5.5% 15.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $654 in Jamaica. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $958 in Kingston.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $793 in Jamaica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 97% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 15% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 130% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 4.1 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇯🇲 Jamaica

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

5 h behind the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

2,697,983

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Jamaica 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Jamaica

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

United Kingdom vs Jamaica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jamaica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 40% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $654 in Jamaica.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Jamaica, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Jamaica is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.