Cost of living comparison
compared to
Jamaica vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary
Jamaica is 18.3% more expensive than El Salvador overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.1% more in Jamaica
- Groceries
-
pay 34.8% more in Jamaica
- Transportation
-
pay 74.8% more in Jamaica
- Housing
-
pay 11.1% more in Jamaica
- Childcare
-
pay 21.6% less in Jamaica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 63.0% more in Jamaica
- Clothing
-
pay 50.9% less in Jamaica
The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and housing in Jamaica are more expensive than in El Salvador. Expenses including clothing and childcare are lower in Jamaica.
Jamaica vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Jamaica instead of El Salvador, you would:
pay 17.1% more for restaurants
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$5.50
SVC47.99
|
$7.18
JMD1,146.21
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.33
SVC55.23
|
$7.65
JMD1,221.34
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.99
SVC8.64
|
$1.24
JMD197.19
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.81
SVC7.05
|
$0.75
JMD119.23
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 34.8% more for groceries
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.95
SVC17.01
|
$2.71
JMD433.22
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.77
SVC32.86
|
$5.07
JMD809.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.72
SVC58.61
|
$13.82
JMD2,206.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.78
SVC24.25
|
$3.51
JMD560.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.82
SVC24.64
|
$2.83
JMD452.13
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.67
SVC14.60
|
$2.51
JMD400.28
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
SVC6.60
|
$1.32
JMD211.25
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.17
SVC10.17
|
$1.91
JMD304.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
SVC10.61
|
$1.23
JMD195.64
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
SVC8.44
|
$0.93
JMD148.82
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SVC8.51
|
$0.89
JMD142.25
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 74.8% more for transportation
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.75
SVC32.69
|
$4.77
JMD761.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$15.00
SVC130.88
|
$48.93
JMD7,811.45
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,666.67
SVC215,223.23
|
$42,765.27
JMD6,827,842.87
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$29.78
SVC259.88
|
$21.56
JMD3,441.77
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 11.1% more for housing
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.89
SVC365.49
|
$49.24
JMD7,862.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$666.67
SVC5,816.84
|
$505.52
JMD80,711.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$502.78
SVC4,386.87
|
$400.25
JMD63,903.29
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$64.97
SVC566.86
|
$111.28
JMD17,766.65
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 21.6% less for childcare
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,419.31
|
$184.63
JMD29,477.98
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,420.00
SVC56,016.21
|
$2,785.57
JMD444,740.04
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 63.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.45
|
$2.34
JMD373.82
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.83
SVC24.69
|
$3.50
JMD558.48
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC34.90
|
$8.58
JMD1,370.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.27
SVC264.08
|
$41.65
JMD6,649.65
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.17
SVC45.08
|
$11.47
JMD1,831.61
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 50.9% less for clothing
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.60
SVC546.20
|
$21.47
JMD3,427.66
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.83
SVC399.91
|
$21.34
JMD3,407.55
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.80
SVC1,149.99
|
$64.53
JMD10,303.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.17
SVC952.51
|
$72.59
JMD11,589.61
|
|
El Salvador vs. Jamaica - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Jamaica or El Salvador. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.