Jamaica, Kingston

Overview

Jamaica, Kingston Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica. Kingston, as the capital, is the financial, cultural, economic and industrial centre of Jamaica.

Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba. The climate is tropical, hot and humid but temperate in the interior.

The official language is English. This is the dominant and business language of the country Most Jamaicans understand English, but speak patois – a dialect derived from English and African languages. The main religion is Christianity.

The economy of Jamaica is a mixed economy with both state enterprises and private sector businesses. Major sectors of the Jamaican economy include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, and financial and insurance services. Tourism and mining are the leading earners of foreign exchange.

In Jamaica, North American business culture is prevalent. Jamaican men usually shake hands with other men, but will usually wait for women to initiate handshaking. Jamaican women do not usually shake hands with other women. Expatriate business dress is mostly formal and conservative. Lightweight suits for both men and women are acceptable.

The security risk for expatriates in Jamaica is medium, but high in West Kingston and Spanish Town. Risks include violent crime, murder, rape, robbery and gang violence.

The currency of Jamaica is the Jamaican Dollar (JMD).

Medical facilities vary throughout Jamaica and may not meet international standards. Medical treatment can be expensive often requiring immediate payment. Cases of Zika virus and Chikungunya virus have been reported. Dengue fever is common.

The population of Kingston is 662,400 (2019 est.), while the inflation rate (CPI) is 3.4% for Jamaica as at September 2019.

Xpatulator Hypothetical Tax for Jamaica is based on the current personal income tax rates which are progressive up to 30%.

Cost Of Living

The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Kingston as at 1 October 2019 is high in comparison to other places in the world.

We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Kingston is as follows:
1) Alcohol (where available) & Tobacco: for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$980
2) Clothing: for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$810
3) Communication: for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$120
4) Education: for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30000 in New York costs USD$24600
5) Furniture & Appliances: for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2500 in New York costs USD$3425
6) Groceries: for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$880
7) Healthcare: for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$740
8) Household Accommodation: for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5000 in New York costs USD$3000
9) Miscellaneous: for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$500
10) Personal Care: for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$390
11) Recreation & Culture: for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$455
12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$650
13) Transport: for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$760

Kingston is 36.8% more expensive than Houston TX for groceries, 40.1% more expensive for household costs than Kuala Lumpur, and 29.4% more expensive for transport costs than Dubai.

Kingston is ranked as a some hardship location.

The hardship premium for Kingston for an expat from Perth, is for example 10%, i.e. host location (Kingston) premium of 20% minus home (Perth) location premium of 10%.

Want to know more about cost of living, hardship (quality of living) or expat salary in Kingston? Register subscribe to your home location and Kingston and run your personalised reports.

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The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Kingston as at 1 October 2019 is high in comparison to other places in the world.

Kingston is ranked as a some hardship location.