Cost of living comparison

Jamaica

compared to

Beijing, China

Beijing vs. Jamaica Cost of Living Summary

Beijing is 82.3% more expensive than Jamaica overall.

Restaurants: pay 49.3% less in Beijing
Groceries: pay 42.5% less in Beijing
Transportation: pay 37.3% less in Beijing
Housing: pay 9.1% less in Beijing
Childcare: pay 7.5 times more in Beijing
Entertainment and Sports: pay 13.7% less in Beijing
Clothing: pay 75.9% more in Beijing

The cost of childcare and clothing in Beijing are more expensive than in Jamaica. Expenses including restaurants, groceries, transportation, entertainment and sports, and housing are lower in Beijing. Notably, childcare and clothing are significantly more expensive in Beijing.

Beijing vs. Jamaica Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Beijing instead of Jamaica, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 49.3% less for restaurants

	Jamaica	Beijing
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.25 JMD1,139.11	$4.17 CN¥30.32	-42.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.80 JMD1,226.24	$5.57 CN¥40.43	-28.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.33 JMD209.11	$0.50 CN¥3.60	-62.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.85 JMD132.97	$0.31 CN¥2.25	-63.5%
Average			-49.3%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - Cost of restaurants

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pay 42.5% less for groceries

	Jamaica	Beijing
Bread 1 loaf	$2.62 JMD412.17	$1.43 CN¥10.42	-45.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.91 JMD929.74	$7.31 CN¥53.08	+23.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$13.43 JMD2,110.41	$7.17 CN¥52.08	-46.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.35 JMD526.21	$1.74 CN¥12.63	-48.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.97 JMD466.56	$1.53 CN¥11.12	-48.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.46 JMD387.01	$0.92 CN¥6.66	-62.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.21 JMD189.43	$0.71 CN¥5.17	-41.0%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.71 JMD268.67	$0.89 CN¥6.44	-48.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.22 JMD191.40	$0.58 CN¥4.23	-52.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.92 JMD144.40	$0.37 CN¥2.68	-59.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.77 JMD120.37	$0.47 CN¥3.42	-38.5%
Average			-42.5%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - Cost of groceries

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pay 37.3% less for transportation

	Jamaica	Beijing
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.83 JMD759.84	$4.36 CN¥31.67	-9.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$37.59 JMD5,909.58	$33.40 CN¥242.57	-11.2%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$40,601.97 JMD6,382,342.18	$20,872.18 CN¥151,607.16	-48.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$22.62 JMD3,555.59	$4.59 CN¥33.35	-79.7%
Average			-37.3%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - Cost of transportation

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pay 9.1% less for housing

	Jamaica	Beijing
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.42 JMD7,611.79	$13.28 CN¥96.49	-72.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$594.87 JMD93,508.60	$929.88 CN¥6,754.26	+56.3%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$355.79 JMD55,927.35	$492.44 CN¥3,576.90	+38.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$101.67 JMD15,981.26	$42.04 CN¥305.36	-58.6%
Average			-9.1%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - Cost of housing

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pay 7.5 times more for childcare

	Jamaica	Beijing
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$194.86 JMD30,631.30	$763.49 CN¥5,545.72	+291.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$2,060.17 JMD323,844.77	$22,913.01 CN¥166,430.97	+1012.2%
Average			+652.0%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - Cost of childcare

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pay 13.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Jamaica	Beijing
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.65 JMD416.02	$1.11 CN¥8.09	-57.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.05 JMD479.31	$3.60 CN¥26.17	+18.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$8.65 JMD1,359.20	$3.48 CN¥25.27	-59.8%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.08 JMD6,456.76	$65.46 CN¥475.45	+59.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.65 JMD1,831.97	$8.35 CN¥60.64	-28.4%
Average			-13.7%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 75.9% more for clothing

	Jamaica	Beijing
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$24.19 JMD3,801.83	$62.65 CN¥455.10	+159.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$21.83 JMD3,430.84	$34.69 CN¥251.95	+58.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$66.00 JMD10,374.59	$83.45 CN¥606.17	+26.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$67.67 JMD10,637.24	$107.64 CN¥781.83	+59.1%
Average			+75.9%

Jamaica vs. Beijing - 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: April 2025

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