Cost of living comparison
Jamaica is 35.9% more expensive than South Africa.
If you lived in Jamaica instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 24.5% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.97
ZAR160.20
|
$7.25
JMD1,133.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.77
ZAR85.18
|
$7.80
JMD1,220.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.95
ZAR17.04
|
$1.33
JMD208.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
ZAR13.23
|
$0.85
JMD132.32
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.99
ZAR17.69
|
$2.62
JMD410.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.67
ZAR65.62
|
$5.91
JMD925.23
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.20
ZAR74.96
|
$13.43
JMD2,100.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.23
ZAR39.76
|
$3.35
JMD523.66
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.03
ZAR36.21
|
$2.97
JMD464.30
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR12.09
|
$2.46
JMD385.14
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
ZAR11.02
|
$1.21
JMD188.52
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR11.46
|
$1.71
JMD267.37
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.47
|
$1.22
JMD190.48
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR9.88
|
$0.92
JMD143.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.61
ZAR10.87
|
$0.77
JMD119.79
|
|
pay 57.6% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
ZAR89.07
|
$4.83
JMD756.16
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.31
ZAR934.00
|
$37.59
JMD5,880.94
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,607.77
ZAR367,947.04
|
$40,601.97
JMD6,351,413.22
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.55
ZAR152.64
|
$22.62
JMD3,538.36
|
|
pay 27.0% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.37
ZAR738.64
|
$48.42
JMD7,574.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$382.55
ZAR6,830.41
|
$594.87
JMD93,055.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$326.35
ZAR5,826.86
|
$355.79
JMD55,656.32
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$80.40
ZAR1,435.49
|
$101.67
JMD15,903.82
|
|
pay 18.5% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$174.12
ZAR3,108.81
|
$194.86
JMD30,482.86
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,033.53
ZAR72,017.72
|
$2,060.17
JMD322,275.41
|
|
pay 80.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.11
ZAR37.64
|
$2.65
JMD414.01
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.88
ZAR33.62
|
$3.05
JMD476.98
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.90
ZAR51.86
|
$8.65
JMD1,352.62
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.50
ZAR526.73
|
$41.08
JMD6,425.47
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.62
ZAR118.22
|
$11.65
JMD1,823.09
|
|
pay 31.2% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Jamaica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.72
ZAR851.94
|
$24.19
JMD3,783.40
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.06
ZAR572.41
|
$21.83
JMD3,414.21
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.39
ZAR1,613.87
|
$66.00
JMD10,324.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.37
ZAR1,452.79
|
$67.67
JMD10,585.69
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Jamaica or South Africa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.