Cost of living comparison
Jamaica vs. El Salvador Cost of Living Summary
Jamaica is 9.3% more expensive than El Salvador overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 37.4% more in Jamaica
- Groceries
-
pay 34.8% more in Jamaica
- Transportation
-
pay 20.7% more in Jamaica
- Housing
-
pay 18.1% less in Jamaica
- Childcare
-
pay 86.6% more in Jamaica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 75.8% more in Jamaica
- Clothing
-
pay 41.3% less in Jamaica
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Jamaica are more expensive than in El Salvador. Expenses including clothing and housing are lower in Jamaica. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Jamaica.
Jamaica vs. El Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Jamaica instead of El Salvador, you would:
pay 37.4% more for restaurants
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.75
SVC59.06
|
$12.69
JMD2,020.87
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.00
SVC61.25
|
$8.18
JMD1,302.71
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.14
SVC10.01
|
$1.08
JMD172.18
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
SVC7.29
|
$0.71
JMD113.81
|
|
pay 34.8% more for groceries
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
SVC22.11
|
$3.00
JMD477.64
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.85
SVC33.72
|
$5.70
JMD907.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.71
SVC58.72
|
$13.76
JMD2,190.28
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
SVC23.35
|
$3.54
JMD563.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.83
SVC24.77
|
$2.86
JMD454.54
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.88
SVC16.49
|
$2.46
JMD391.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
SVC5.54
|
$1.56
JMD247.72
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.18
SVC10.35
|
$2.98
JMD475.04
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.56
SVC13.68
|
$1.30
JMD206.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
SVC11.65
|
$1.36
JMD216.67
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
SVC13.05
|
$1.20
JMD191.12
|
|
pay 20.7% more for transportation
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.75
SVC41.60
|
$5.18
JMD823.90
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$37.50
SVC328.13
|
$37.77
JMD6,012.49
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,000.00
SVC219K
|
$44,062.55
JMD7M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$30.00
SVC262.50
|
$26.21
JMD4,172.00
|
|
pay 18.1% less for housing
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$42.50
SVC371.88
|
$51.12
JMD8,137.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$824.50
SVC7,214.43
|
$697.95
JMD111K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$660.00
SVC5,775.07
|
$438.00
JMD69,728.23
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$99.35
SVC869.35
|
$114.56
JMD18,237.90
|
|
pay 86.6% more for childcare
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,423.35
|
$324.59
JMD51,673.95
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
|
$8,236.21
JMD1M
|
|
pay 75.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.00
SVC17.50
|
$2.20
JMD350.73
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.55
SVC31.02
|
$5.31
JMD845.51
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.00
SVC35.00
|
$9.44
JMD1,503.12
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.30
SVC247.63
|
$55.18
JMD8,784.92
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
SVC43.75
|
$11.65
JMD1,853.85
|
|
pay 41.3% less for clothing
|
El Salvador
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$67.15
SVC587.57
|
$23.60
JMD3,757.81
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.00
SVC411.25
|
$31.47
JMD5,010.41
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$118.33
SVC1,035.43
|
$74.84
JMD11,913.64
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.00
SVC1,023.76
|
$93.02
JMD14,808.55
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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