Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Jamaica Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 2.4 times more expensive than Jamaica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3 times more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 27.3% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 22.9% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 2.3 times more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 7.1 times more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 30.5% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 71.8% more in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in South Carolina are more expensive than in Jamaica. Notably, childcare, housing, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Jamaica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Jamaica, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.18
JMD1,146.21
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.65
JMD1,221.34
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.24
JMD197.19
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.75
JMD119.23
|
$2.13
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
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pay 27.3% more for groceries
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.71
JMD433.22
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.07
JMD809.00
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$13.82
JMD2,206.79
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.51
JMD560.18
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.83
JMD452.13
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.51
JMD400.28
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.32
JMD211.25
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
JMD304.37
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.23
JMD195.64
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.93
JMD148.82
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.89
JMD142.25
|
$1.38
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
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pay 22.9% less for transportation
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.77
JMD761.49
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$48.93
JMD7,811.45
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$42,765.27
JMD6,827,842.87
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.56
JMD3,441.77
|
$16.34
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
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pay 2.3 times more for housing
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.24
JMD7,862.27
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$505.52
JMD80,711.20
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$400.25
JMD63,903.29
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$111.28
JMD17,766.65
|
$141.20
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
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pay 7.1 times more for childcare
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$184.63
JMD29,477.98
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,785.57
JMD444,740.04
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
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pay 30.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.34
JMD373.82
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.50
JMD558.48
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.58
JMD1,370.52
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.65
JMD6,649.65
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.47
JMD1,831.61
|
$12.71
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 71.8% more for clothing
|
Jamaica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$21.47
JMD3,427.66
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$21.34
JMD3,407.55
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$64.53
JMD10,303.09
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$72.59
JMD11,589.61
|
$112.81
|
|
Jamaica vs. South Carolina - Cost of clothing
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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
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Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Jamaica vs. United States.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Jamaica and United States.
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