Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kingston vs. San Salvador Cost of Living Summary
Kingston is 17.5% more expensive than San Salvador.
- Restaurants
-
pay 42.6% more in Kingston
- Groceries
-
pay 37.9% more in Kingston
- Transportation
-
pay 22.7% more in Kingston
- Housing
-
pay 4.4% less in Kingston
- Childcare
-
pay 96.8% more in Kingston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 81.6% more in Kingston
- Clothing
-
pay 39.3% less in Kingston
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Kingston are more expensive than in San Salvador. Expenses including clothing and housing are lower in Kingston. Notably, childcare and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Kingston.
Kingston vs. San Salvador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kingston instead of San Salvador, you would:
pay 42.6% more for restaurants
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$6.75
SVC59.06
|
$13.53
JMD2,154.48
|
|
|
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
|
$1.17
JMD186.64
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.83
SVC7.29
|
$0.72
JMD114.13
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.9% more for groceries
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.85
SVC24.94
|
$3.75
JMD597.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.85
SVC33.72
|
$5.70
JMD907.58
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.95
SVC60.81
|
$15.66
JMD2,493.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.02
SVC26.39
|
$3.54
JMD563.17
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.16
SVC27.66
|
$2.86
JMD454.54
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.29
SVC20.07
|
$2.74
JMD436.40
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.63
SVC5.54
|
$1.76
JMD280.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.18
SVC10.35
|
$3.33
JMD530.74
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.56
SVC13.68
|
$1.38
JMD219.34
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
SVC11.65
|
$1.47
JMD234.10
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
SVC13.05
|
$1.20
JMD191.12
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of groceries
pay 22.7% more for transportation
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.75
SVC41.60
|
$5.42
JMD862.54
|
|
| 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
|
$26.37
JMD4,198.72
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of transportation
pay 4.4% less for housing
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$42.50
SVC371.88
|
$52.78
JMD8,402.27
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$898.99
SVC7,866.27
|
$960.80
JMD153K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$770.00
SVC6,737.58
|
$569.14
JMD90,604.94
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$99.35
SVC869.35
|
$128.52
JMD20,460.16
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of housing
pay 96.8% more for childcare
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$162.67
SVC1,423.35
|
$361.00
JMD57,469.28
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,720.00
SVC41,300.50
|
$8,238.45
JMD1M
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of childcare
pay 81.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
$31.60
SVC276.50
|
$61.69
JMD9,820.41
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.00
SVC43.75
|
$13.22
JMD2,104.37
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 39.3% less for clothing
|
San Salvador
|
Kingston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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
|
$77.63
JMD12,359.01
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.00
SVC1,023.76
|
$102.81
JMD16,367.34
|
|
San Salvador vs. Kingston - Cost of clothing
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
Change currency:
Compare further: San Salvador vs. Kingston
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in El Salvador vs. Jamaica.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within El Salvador and Jamaica.
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 Kingston or San Salvador. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.