Hi,

I've been offered a job and need to know a bit more about Jamaica before I go. Really, I'm just after the basics such as (apartments rent, groceries, cigarettes and alcohol, eating out etc) but someone told me that the crime rate is very high and obviously this bothers me. How bad is it?

Other than the above, what qualifies as a good salary out there and am I able to watch the English premier league on satellite or cable?

Many Thanks,

Brenster

Brenster, I cannot tell you much about actually living in Montego Bay, but those I know who go on holiday there seem to have a good time at the various resort hotels.

I've been to Jamaica 3 times, Montego Bay, Negril & Whitehouse, you can get footy fine, they all watch it avidly, groceries are cheap if you shop where the locals do, crime is rife, even the locals get robbed, 1 guy I knew had his car stolen, the cops didn't care, no kidding, so now he has no car to get to work and he only had basic insurance so cant replace it.

There are lots of whites living there so it is possible if you are careful BUT all our friends(locals)have told us not to even consider it, there are lots of gangs especially in the city areas and you really have to be savvy, the outlying areas are much safer but again you can easily become a target if they think you have something they want.

Not sure how long you are thinking of staying or where your job is, if the job and accomodations are on site then I would go for it otherwise I would be leery, take care, Pam

I moved from London to Kingston.
The crime rate is high but normally gang related. Montego Bay is a safe area and a lot of expats live there.
Montego Bay tend to be very expensive when compare to other cities. A one bedroom apartment with AC, security, etc can be anything from $45000. Plus electricity can be expensive because you will be running the AC. Groceries are much more expensive than the UK. It depends on what you eat. We normally buy organic food so its more. If you are single budget for about $30000 per month for food plus eating out. I don't know about cigarette but the cost of alcohol is around the same as the UK.

The cable system is good, you can get a full monthly package for cable, telephone and internet for about $9000 from Flow.

As you can see, a comfortable salary in Jamaica I think is around $250000 after tax. It depends on your lifestyle, there are people here livng on $30000.

What is the exchange rate for Jamaican dollars to UK pounds ?

£1 = $135

Wow, that many dollars to the pound. It seems pretty confusing at first, but when you work the figures out it is quite reasonable. I guess it depends what your Jamaican salary is.

It seems one would need approx 800-1000 uk pounds per month to live a reasonable existence in Montego bay.

If you are single and don't think about savings you can be comfortable on £1000 per month.

As far as the crime rate goes, treat Jamaica like you would Brixton or parts of Camden.

I grew up in one of the worst areas of Kingston and in 12 years of us living there, the worst that happened to us was a break in. Not a full on break in, but people pushing sticks through windows etc...Probably unlikely that would happen in more upscale neighbourhoods.

Probably the biggest worry would be a car crash rather than crime.

A beautiful place to live (then again I am biased!). Would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone!

Most probably a lot has changed since you grew up there.
The days of leaving the front door open is but a memory to those of us old enough to remember the freedom of those days. The the world seems a much uglier place now, and wherever you live safety precautions have to be taken.
Some of the youths in the Caribbean are losing all respect and don't care who they rob. Then add that to Kingstons extremley high murder rate now, and it all tallies in. By all means live there but be aware of your surroundings and take all the necessary precautions to live safely.

The good old days eh !!!!!!

I would HIGHLY doubt that the rate of non-gang/drug related murders has increased that much in 10 years....We could NEVER have left our front door open where I grew up lol!! Perhaps in the country yes...

Kingston had a very high murder rate, biggest fear living in Dunkirk at the heart of the ghetto was a stray bullet. Of course, as with all major cities robbery/break ins happened, but in my opinion no more than comparable cities such as London and DC.

To know what is happening in Jamaica read Jamaica Gleaner and Jamaica Observer daily.

24 people was gun down and murdered in that area in the last 24 hours including a 5 year old girl.Go online to the jamaican gleaner news