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Cost of living in Jamaica

Compare the cost of your home country to the actual living costs in Jamaica, simply select your home currency and see the difference!

All data is kept up to date by local members and actual students. Our latest update was on: 30th of June 2020

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Food Price in $
12 eggs dozen, large 12.50 JMD
1 beer pint in local shops, markets 7 JMD
1 kg of tomatoes 8.50 JMD
Full chicken 2kg 38.75 JMD
1litre 100% fruit juice 8.50 JMD
1 package of cigarettes imported brands 25 JMD
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples 7.50 JMD
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality 48.95 JMD
2.5 liters of Coca-Cola 0.95 JMD
1 Bread loaf standard 9.50 JMD
Whole fat Yogurt. 500ml 12 JMD
1x6 pack Dardanelle tuna 18.50 JMD
Heinz baked beans 1 tin 8 JMD
1.5 kg Sugar 10 JMD
2 liter cooking oil 20 JMD
Yum-yum noodles per pack 2.00 JMD
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes 5.50 JMD
1 liter milk 8.50 JMD
Fast food restaurant large serving/ take away 25 JMD
Housing
Utilities per month (water, electricity, gas) for 2 people in flat 165 JMD
Wi-Fi monthly fee 8 Mbps (1 month) 145 JMD
Laundry detergent (bleach, sunlight liquid, washing surf… altogether) 58.50 JMD
House Cleaning fee per day 105 JMD
Large Gas heater price range upwards. 200 JMD
Original branded Electric Fans 200 JMD
Original branded Electric kettle. 120 JMD
40 inches Beko flat screen HD TV set 2000 JMD
Single bed Blankets 120 JMD
Personal Care
Avon for women and men cologne 100 JMD
Ladies hair plaiting. 60 JMD
Ladies Sanitaryware (Pads and Tampoons) 18 JMD
Men's haircut 40 JMD
Ibuprofen, Panadol, Grandpa Pain killers box of 12 dosses 24.50 JMD
Mobile package local network providers’ talk-time, data and messages 65 JMD
1 month of gym subscription. 105 JMD
Earphones original (Samsung. iPhone) 90 JMD
Unisex Loris perfume 30 JMD
Gadgets maintenance and repairs (cellphone, laptops, tablets...) starting price. 100 JMD
Smart phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, HTC, IPhone) price range upwards 1000 JMD
Laptops (Samsung, Lenovo, Hp, Monster, Dell etc.) price range upwards 3000 JMD
Entertainment
Boat cruise with refreshments and finger snacks 120 JMD
Go carting 30mins 120 JMD
Movie House 3d cinema 30 JMD
Summer Festivals (jet, bumper cars, lucky deep ...(per ticket) 15 JMD
Photo shoot 120 JMD
Cappuccino / expresso/ coffee 12.50 JMD
3 course dinner local restaurant two people 96.50 JMD
3 course dinner classy, exotic restaurant two people 150 JMD
Play station 4 console without games. 2000 JMD
Spalding Basketball 200 JMD
Original branded Racket and Wilson’s tennis balls 500 JMD
Transportation
Taxi fare on average 5-10km 45 JMD
Public transport per trip one way maximum fare 30 JMD
1 liter petrol/diesel 6.50 JMD
1 day rent a car cost 140 JMD
Driver’s license 2300 JMD
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (Denim or similar) 150 JMD
1 pair of men’s formal shoes 215 JMD
1 pair original sport/casual shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) 280 JMD
1 classy summer dress (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) 135.79 JMD
Ladies formal shoes original and durable 120 JMD
Back-pack, gym bag (Nike, Adidas, New balance) 150 JMD

The country a lovely place to live, if you have money. It is filled with adventures and fun things to do, but most locals cannot enjoy all the goodies that this island has to offer because they lack financial income.

However, the food is good and general costs of living, apart from petrol and imported products are reasonable. What is expensive is the rent: for example a decent one bedroom apartment in a nice area would probably cost USD 400 per month, and with utilities costing around USD 150 per month, there is hardly any amount that’s left for personal luxury.

Restaurants

Food here is relatively expensive if you take into consideration their paychecks, so eating out isn’t recommended if you want to save up your money. Of course, there are always inexpensive restaurants with delicious food for USD 4, but if you go to a mid-range restaurant, expect the prices to be like anywhere around the country.

Markets

The price of groceries is very high compared to even European prices. Though it is relatively inexpensive to cook, definitely, than to go out and eat in restaurants, groceries are still pretty expensive. Jamaica is actually known for having high prices of meals and transportation. For example, expect a loaf of bread to cost over USD 2.

Transportation

Transportation is also cheap in this country. For example, a normal workday where you have to travel back and forth using public transportation, together with that day's lunch would cost on average around USD 10 per day. Monthly pass for public transport costs around USD 10 and a one way ticket less than a dollar.

Utilities 

Utilities are also expensive and on par with European most expensive cities in Jamaica, with one difference: here, the internet is more expensive, too. So, all the basic utilities, including gas, electricity, heating, cooling and garbage services, cost almost USD 100 for a larger apartment of about 80m2.

Clothing and shoes

One thing that is inexpensive in Jamaica is clothing. So if you are planning on spending any money on clothes that might be a good idea since the prices are half as much as they are in other continents. For good, quality jeans, you’ll have to pay only around USD 40 while quality sneakers are around USD 60. The interesting thing is that light pieces of clothing like summer dresses and shirts priced almost the same as jeans.

Rent per month

Rent is expensive but largely depends on whether you’re staying in a rural area or closer to the towns. The rent would average at around USD 340 per month, because outside of the city it would cost somewhere around USD 250, while in the center of one of the cities, it would cost above USD 500 per month.

Health Care

Cost is average for consulting a doctor in a public institution that will cost about USD 50 and for a private doctor can vary between USD 50 to USD 100 depending on the city. There are student medical aids that are accepted by various institutions in Jamaica. It is advised to check with your offer letter on what procedures need to be followed on health insurance!