Cost of living comparison

Nairobi, Kenya

compared to

Jamaica vs. Nairobi Cost of Living Summary

Jamaica is 60.7% more expensive than Nairobi.

Restaurants: pay 68.5% more in Jamaica
Groceries: pay 2.3 times more in Jamaica
Transportation: pay 43.5% more in Jamaica
Housing: pay 2.3 times more in Jamaica
Childcare: pay 28.7% less in Jamaica
Entertainment and Sports: pay 62.6% more in Jamaica
Clothing: pay 18.6% more in Jamaica

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

Jamaica vs. Nairobi Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 68.5% more for restaurants

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$3.85 KES499.63	$7.25 JMD1,144.71	+88.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.17 KES799.40	$7.80 JMD1,232.26	+26.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.66 KES85.93	$1.33 JMD210.14	+100.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.53 KES69.04	$0.85 JMD133.62	+58.9%
Average			+68.5%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - Cost of restaurants

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pay 2.3 times more for groceries

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Bread 1 loaf	$0.56 KES72.36	$2.62 JMD414.19	+369.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.59 KES724.78	$5.91 JMD934.31	+5.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.35 KES434.56	$13.43 JMD2,120.79	+300.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.70 KES220.77	$3.35 JMD528.79	+96.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.71 KES351.32	$2.97 JMD468.86	+9.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.26 KES163.85	$2.46 JMD388.92	+94.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.50 KES64.78	$1.21 JMD190.37	+141.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.87 KES113.29	$1.71 JMD269.99	+95.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.46 KES59.27	$1.22 JMD192.34	+166.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.48 KES62.56	$0.92 JMD145.11	+90.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.56 KES72.13	$0.77 JMD120.96	+37.7%
Average			+128.0%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - Cost of groceries

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pay 43.5% more for transportation

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.17 KES800.58	$4.83 JMD763.58	-21.7%
Monthly public transit pass	$30.83 KES3,997.01	$37.59 JMD5,938.62	+22.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,266.80 KES2,498,133.37	$40,601.97 JMD6,413,714.27	+110.7%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$13.87 KES1,798.66	$22.62 JMD3,573.07	+63.1%
Average			+43.5%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - Cost of transportation

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pay 2.3 times more for housing

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$39.39 KES5,107.66	$48.42 JMD7,649.21	+22.9%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$428.53 KES55,562.95	$594.87 JMD93,968.24	+38.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$166.44 KES21,580.03	$355.79 JMD56,202.26	+113.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$22.39 KES2,903.41	$101.67 JMD16,059.82	+354.0%
Average			+132.4%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - Cost of housing

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pay 28.7% less for childcare

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$166.67 KES21,611.05	$194.86 JMD30,781.87	+16.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,008.06 KES1,038,324.64	$2,060.17 JMD325,436.61	-74.3%
Average			-28.7%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - Cost of childcare

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pay 62.6% more for entertainment and sports

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.31 KES299.78	$2.65 JMD418.07	+14.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.24 KES290.55	$3.05 JMD481.66	+36.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.08 KES399.70	$8.65 JMD1,365.88	+180.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$44.12 KES5,720.22	$41.08 JMD6,488.50	-6.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.17 KES799.40	$11.65 JMD1,840.97	+89.0%
Average			+62.6%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 18.6% more for clothing

	Nairobi	Jamaica
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$16.84 KES2,183.84	$24.19 JMD3,820.51	+43.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$22.95 KES2,975.55	$21.83 JMD3,447.70	-4.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$61.84 KES8,017.82	$66.00 JMD10,425.58	+6.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$52.50 KES6,807.37	$67.67 JMD10,689.52	+28.9%
Average			+18.6%

Nairobi vs. Jamaica - 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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