Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Jamaica Cost of Living Summary
United States is 2.6 times more expensive than Jamaica overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.2 times more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 21.9% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 9.1% less in United States
- Housing
- pay 2.4 times more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 7.9 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 50.8% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 81.0% more in United States
United States vs. Jamaica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Jamaica, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $7.18 JMD1,131.70 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $7.65 JMD1,205.88 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.24 JMD194.69 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.75 JMD117.72 | $2.00 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.9% more for groceries
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.71 JMD427.73 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $5.07 JMD798.76 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $13.82 JMD2,178.86 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.51 JMD553.09 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.83 JMD446.40 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.51 JMD395.21 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.32 JMD208.57 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.91 JMD300.52 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.23 JMD193.16 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.93 JMD146.94 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.89 JMD140.45 | $1.38 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 9.1% less for transportation
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.77 JMD751.85 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $48.93 JMD7,712.57 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $42,765.27 JMD7M | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $21.56 JMD3,398.20 | $17.61 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 2.4 times more for housing
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $49.24 JMD7,762.74 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $505.52 JMD79,689.47 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $400.25 JMD63,094.33 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $111.28 JMD17,541.74 | $150.19 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 7.9 times more for childcare
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $184.63 JMD29,104.82 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $2,785.57 JMD439K | $23,196.46 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 50.8% more for entertainment and sports
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.34 JMD369.09 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.50 JMD551.41 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $8.58 JMD1,353.17 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $41.65 JMD6,565.47 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $11.47 JMD1,808.42 | $13.64 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 81.0% more for clothing
Jamaica | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $21.47 JMD3,384.27 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $21.34 JMD3,364.41 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $64.53 JMD10,172.67 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $72.59 JMD11,442.90 | $112.04 | |
Jamaica vs. United States - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
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