Cost of living comparison

Jamaica

compared to

South Africa vs. Jamaica Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 6.4% cheaper than Jamaica overall.

Restaurants: pay 13.9% less in South Africa
Groceries: pay 47.3% less in South Africa
Transportation: pay 17.3% less in South Africa
Housing: pay 19.9% less in South Africa
Childcare: pay 42.6% more in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 39.3% less in South Africa
Clothing: pay 50.4% more in South Africa

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

South Africa vs. Jamaica Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Jamaica, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 13.9% less for restaurants

	Jamaica	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$7.25 JMD1,141.46	$8.97 ZAR171.66	+23.8%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.80 JMD1,228.76	$4.77 ZAR91.27	-38.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.33 JMD209.54	$0.95 ZAR18.26	-28.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.85 JMD133.24	$0.74 ZAR14.18	-12.4%
Average			-13.9%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 47.3% less for groceries

	Jamaica	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$2.62 JMD413.02	$0.99 ZAR18.95	-62.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.91 JMD931.65	$3.67 ZAR70.31	-37.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$13.43 JMD2,114.76	$4.20 ZAR80.33	-68.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.35 JMD527.29	$2.23 ZAR42.61	-33.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.97 JMD467.53	$2.03 ZAR38.80	-31.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.46 JMD387.81	$0.68 ZAR12.95	-72.5%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.21 JMD189.83	$0.62 ZAR11.81	-48.8%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.71 JMD269.23	$0.64 ZAR12.28	-62.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.22 JMD191.80	$0.70 ZAR13.37	-42.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.92 JMD144.70	$0.55 ZAR10.59	-39.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.77 JMD120.62	$0.61 ZAR11.65	-20.5%
Average			-47.3%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 17.3% less for transportation

	Jamaica	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.83 JMD761.41	$4.99 ZAR95.45	+3.2%
Monthly public transit pass	$37.59 JMD5,921.76	$52.31 ZAR1,000.84	+39.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$40,601.97 JMD6,395,495.92	$20,607.77 ZAR394,278.10	-49.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$22.62 JMD3,562.92	$8.55 ZAR163.56	-62.2%
Average			-17.3%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 19.9% less for housing

	Jamaica	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$48.42 JMD7,627.48	$41.37 ZAR791.50	-14.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$594.87 JMD93,701.32	$382.55 ZAR7,319.21	-35.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$355.79 JMD56,042.61	$326.35 ZAR6,243.84	-8.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$101.67 JMD16,014.20	$80.40 ZAR1,538.22	-20.9%
Average			-19.9%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 42.6% more for childcare

	Jamaica	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$194.86 JMD30,694.43	$174.12 ZAR3,331.28	-10.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$2,060.17 JMD324,512.20	$4,033.53 ZAR77,171.46	+95.8%
Average			+42.6%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 39.3% less for entertainment and sports

	Jamaica	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.65 JMD416.88	$2.11 ZAR40.33	-20.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.05 JMD480.29	$1.88 ZAR36.02	-38.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$8.65 JMD1,362.00	$2.90 ZAR55.57	-66.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$41.08 JMD6,470.07	$29.50 ZAR564.42	-28.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.65 JMD1,835.74	$6.62 ZAR126.68	-43.2%
Average			-39.3%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 50.4% more for clothing

	Jamaica	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$24.19 JMD3,809.66	$47.72 ZAR912.91	+97.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$21.83 JMD3,437.91	$32.06 ZAR613.37	+46.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$66.00 JMD10,395.97	$90.39 ZAR1,729.36	+37.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$67.67 JMD10,659.16	$81.37 ZAR1,556.75	+20.2%
Average			+50.4%

Jamaica vs. South Africa - 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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