Cost of living comparison

 Jamaica
compared to
 Japan
Japan vs. Jamaica Cost of Living Summary

Japan is 32.5% more expensive than Jamaica overall.

Restaurants
pay 22.1% less in Japan
Groceries
pay 3.3% less in Japan
Transportation
pay 2.0% more in Japan
Housing
pay 12.2% less in Japan
Childcare
pay 3.4 times more in Japan
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.5% less in Japan
Clothing
pay 23.3% more in Japan

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

Japan vs. Jamaica Cost Breakdown

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

pay 22.1% less for restaurants

 
Jamaica
Japan
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.25
JMD1,158.55
$6.44
¥949
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.80
JMD1,247.16
$4.94
¥728
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.33
JMD212.68
$0.97
¥143

Improve prices ·

pay 3.3% less for groceries

 
Jamaica
Japan
Bread
1 loaf
$2.62
JMD419.20
$1.52
¥225
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.91
JMD945.60
$5.72
¥843
Milk (1 gallon) $13.43
JMD2,146.43
$5.46
¥804

Improve prices ·

pay 2.0% more for transportation

 
Jamaica
Japan
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.83
JMD772.81
$4.22
¥623
Monthly public transit pass $37.59
JMD6,010.43
$57.82
¥8,521
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $40,601.97
JMD6,491,259.50
$22,042.19
¥3,248,821

Improve prices ·

pay 12.2% less for housing

 
Jamaica
Japan
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$48.42
JMD7,741.69
$31.09
¥4,582
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $594.87
JMD95,104.36
$500.38
¥73,751
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $355.79
JMD56,881.77
$325.42
¥47,963

Improve prices ·

pay 3.4 times more for childcare

 
Jamaica
Japan
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $194.86
JMD31,154.04
$288.10
¥42,464
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $2,060.17
JMD329,371.32
$11,095.30
¥1,635,348

Improve prices ·

pay 3.5% less for entertainment and sports

 
Jamaica
Japan
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.65
JMD423.12
$2.71
¥399
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.05
JMD487.49
$2.78
¥409
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.65
JMD1,382.40
$3.98
¥587

Improve prices ·

pay 23.3% more for clothing

 
Jamaica
Japan
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$24.19
JMD3,866.71
$40.54
¥5,976
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$21.83
JMD3,489.39
$26.82
¥3,953
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$66.00
JMD10,551.64
$54.08
¥7,971

Improve prices ·
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: July 2025
Share this

Compare by city

Select a city in Jamaica
Select a city..
compared to
Select a city in Japan
Select a city..
For example, try comparing the cost of living in Kingston vs. Tokyo

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 Japan or Jamaica. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.