Cost of living comparison

 Jamaica
compared to
 Washington (DC), United States
Washington vs. Jamaica Cost of Living Summary

Washington is 4.0 times more expensive than Jamaica overall.

Restaurants
pay 2.4 times more in Washington
Groceries
pay 44.4% more in Washington
Transportation
pay 17.2% more in Washington
Housing
pay 3.2 times more in Washington
Childcare
pay 15.1 times more in Washington
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1 times more in Washington
Clothing
pay 2.4 times more in Washington

The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, clothing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Washington are more expensive than in Jamaica. Notably, childcare, housing, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Washington.

Washington vs. Jamaica Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.4 times more for restaurants

 
Jamaica
Washington
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.25
JMD1,141.46
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.80
JMD1,228.76
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.33
JMD209.54
$2.78
 

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pay 44.4% more for groceries

 
Jamaica
Washington
Bread
1 loaf
$2.62
JMD413.02
$4.34
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.91
JMD931.65
$7.84
 
Milk (1 gallon) $13.43
JMD2,114.76
$4.14
 

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pay 17.2% more for transportation

 
Jamaica
Washington
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.83
JMD761.41
$3.66
 
Monthly public transit pass $37.59
JMD5,921.76
$75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $40,601.97
JMD6,395,495.92
$35,699.74
 

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pay 3.2 times more for housing

 
Jamaica
Washington
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$48.42
JMD7,627.48
$66.46
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $594.87
JMD93,701.32
$2,582.95
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $355.79
JMD56,042.61
$2,028.70
 

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pay 15.1 times more for childcare

 
Jamaica
Washington
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $194.86
JMD30,694.43
$2,273.25
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $2,060.17
JMD324,512.20
$38,250.00
 

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pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Jamaica
Washington
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.65
JMD416.88
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.05
JMD480.29
$5.55
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.65
JMD1,362.00
$11.75
 

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pay 2.4 times more for clothing

 
Jamaica
Washington
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$24.19
JMD3,809.66
$74.13
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$21.83
JMD3,437.91
$50.77
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$66.00
JMD10,395.97
$105.47
 

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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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