What Food Costs in Jamaica
Dated market prices, the official inflation numbers behind them, and every government source you can go and check yourself. No undated tables, no guessed averages.
Prices in Jamaican dollars. Last updated 2026-08-03.
The headline numbers
From the Statistical Institute of Jamaica's Consumer Price Index release for June 2026.
9.8%
Food inflation
year to June 2026
6.7%
Headline inflation
all items, point to point
0.8%
Monthly move
June 2026 alone
4-6%
Bank of Jamaica target
the band this is judged against
Food is the biggest driver
Food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 9.8 per cent over the year, well ahead of transport at 7.3 per cent and housing, water, electricity and gas at 3.5 per cent. That gap of 3.1 percentage points between food and the headline rate is why the official inflation figure feels wrong to anyone who does the shopping.
The 'Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses' class rose 2.9 per cent in June, driven by carrots, cabbage, onions and sweet peppers.
Recent monthly readings
- Mar 2026+0.3%
- Apr 2026-0.3%4.3% annual
- May 2026+1.6%5.4% annual
- Jun 2026+0.8%6.7% annual
Annual rate climbed from 4.3 per cent in April to 6.7 per cent in June - a 29-month high.
Market prices, item by item
Every price below was quoted at a named market on a named day. Click the date to read the survey it came from.
| Item | Unit | Latest | Range since 26 Jun | Move | Trend | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BananaFruit | per dozen | $1,400 | $1,200 - $1,400 | +17% | 24 Jul 2026Coronation Market | |
| GingerSeasonings | per lb | $600 | $500 - $600 | +20% | 31 Jul 2026Spanish Town Market | |
| Green bananaGround provisions | per hand | $400 | - | single reading | - | 31 Jul 2026Spanish Town Market |
| Irish potatoGround provisions | per lb | $180 | - | single reading | - | 17 Jul 2026Coronation Market |
| LettuceVegetables | per head | $700 | $400 - $700 | +17% | 24 Jul 2026Coronation Market | |
| OnionVegetables | per lb | $300 | $200 - $400 | -25% | 31 Jul 2026Spanish Town Market | |
| PlantainGround provisions | per three | $700 | - | single reading | - | 24 Jul 2026Coronation Market |
| Ripe bananaFruit | per hand | $400 - $600 | $400 - $600 | single reading | - | 31 Jul 2026Spanish Town Market |
| Scotch bonnet pepperSeasonings | per lb | $400 | $200 - $400 | flat | 31 Jul 2026Spanish Town Market | |
| Sweet pepperVegetables | per lb | $500 | $400 - $500 | +25% | 31 Jul 2026Spanish Town Market | |
| Sweet potatoGround provisions | per lb | $150 | - | single reading | - | 17 Jul 2026Coronation Market |
| TomatoVegetables | per lb | $150 | $100 - $150 | +50% | 24 Jul 2026Coronation Market | |
| Yellow yamGround provisions | per lb | $500 | - | single reading | - | 3 Jul 2026Coronation Market |
Lettuce: The most volatile item in the series - a 75 per cent swing inside five weeks.
Onion: Named by STATIN as one of the four items driving the June 2026 vegetables index up 2.9 per cent.
Sweet pepper: Also flagged by STATIN in the June 2026 CPI release.
All prices in Jamaican dollars, from 5 dated market surveys between 26 Jun 2026 and 31 Jul 2026. Produce is quoted per pound unless the survey stated otherwise. These are observed prices at a specific stall on a specific day, not a national average - supermarket prices, parish and time of day all move the number. Use them to know when you are being overcharged, not as a guarantee of what you will pay.
Announced price increases in 2026
Packaged goods move differently from produce. Rather than drifting week to week, they step up when a manufacturer announces a change - and then stay there.
Tastee
4 May 2026J$20 increase across the board. Chicken patty moved from $330 to $350.
Jamaica Flour Mills
18 May 2026Increase on flour and selected bakery mixes, citing raw material, packaging and freight costs. Feeds through to bread, patties, dumpling and festival.
Seprod
Mid 2026Increases of 3 to 8 per cent across a portfolio that includes flour, edible oils, biscuits and snacks, varying with sugar content and packaging.
Wisynco
Mid 2026Modest increases on most lines, with high-sugar, lower-priced beverages moving as much as 20 to 25 per cent.
Most staples - rice, flour, sugar, salt, cooking oil, fresh milk, bread, meat, seafood and many canned goods - are exempt from or zero-rated for General Consumption Tax, so these movements reflect input, freight and manufacturing costs rather than tax changes.
Check the prices yourself
You do not have to take our word for any of this. These are the sources behind the page, government ones first.
Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN)
Government sourceMonthly, released around the 15thThe Consumer Price Index. The official measure of what prices are doing, broken down by division and class.
Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC)
Government sourceGrocery monthly, produce and meats roughly fortnightlyItem-level surveys of groceries, agricultural produce and retail meats, taken across more than 90 outlets and covering around 127 items, plus a price comparison tool that shows the cheapest surveyed outlet near you.
CAC price comparison tool
Government sourceUpdated with each surveyPick your items and your parish and the tool returns the best surveyed price near you. The single most useful government tool for an ordinary shopper.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining
Government sourceWeekly listings, quarterly farmgate seriesCommodity prices and AgriData farmgate estimates by quarter, plus weekly market and retail listings covering 15 supermarkets and five Corporate Area municipal markets - Papine, Stony Hill, Cross Roads, Constant Spring and Coronation.
Jamaica Agricultural Marketing Information System (JAMIS)
Government sourceWeeklyFarmgate, wholesale and municipal market prices, plus weekly retail prices from 16 supermarkets in the Kingston Metropolitan Area. Farmgate figures are collected on Wednesdays by RADA officers; supermarket prices on Thursdays.
Jamaica Open Data portal
Government sourcePublished in batchesThe CAC's grocery, petrol and textbook price datasets in downloadable form, for anyone who wants to do their own analysis.
Bank of Jamaica
Government sourceQuarterly policy reportsMonetary policy statements and the inflation target of 4 to 6 per cent, which is the benchmark the June reading of 6.7 per cent is being judged against.
Jamaica Observer, Market Bag
WeeklyA weekly walk through a working market with prices quoted item by item. Not a government series, but it is dated, specific and published every week - which is why the table on this page is built from it.
How to shop against these numbers
Substitute across the range, not down it
When lettuce goes from $400 to $700 in three weeks, the move is not to buy worse lettuce. It is to buy cabbage, pak choi or callaloo that week and come back to lettuce when it settles. Weather hits one crop at a time, so there is nearly always something in season and cheap.
Learn three prices, not thirty
Pick the three items you buy every single week and memorise what they should cost. You will spot an overcharge on those instantly, and they are enough to tell you whether a whole stall is priced fairly.
Use the CAC tool before a big shop
For packaged goods the spread between the cheapest and dearest surveyed outlet is routinely wide enough to justify a detour. The Commission has already done the survey; it takes two minutes to check.
Buy the glut
In mango season the trees give more than the island can eat and prices collapse. The same happens with breadfruit, ackee and callaloo at points in the year. Buying deep into a glut and preserving what you cannot eat is the cheapest food strategy available on this island.
Count the waste, not just the till receipt
A household throwing away a quarter of what it buys is paying a quarter more than the shelf price for everything it does eat. Cutting waste beats hunting discounts, and it is entirely within your control.
Buy surplus at the end of service
Bakeries, restaurants and fast food outlets discount heavily rather than bin stock. That is the whole premise of Last Bite - the same food, hours later, at a fraction of the price.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I check official food prices in Jamaica?
Three government sources cover it. The Consumer Affairs Commission runs item-level grocery, produce and meat surveys across more than 90 outlets and publishes a comparison tool that shows the cheapest surveyed outlet in your parish. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining publishes weekly market and retail listings plus quarterly farmgate estimates. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica publishes the Consumer Price Index monthly, which is the official measure of how fast prices are moving.
How much has food inflation been in Jamaica in 2026?
In the year to June 2026, the food and non-alcoholic beverages division rose 9.8 per cent, against headline inflation of 6.7 per cent. Food has been the single largest contributor to the overall figure, ahead of transport at 7.3 per cent and housing and utilities at 3.5 per cent.
Why are vegetable prices moving so much week to week?
Because they are weather-driven and mostly locally grown. Drought conditions through mid 2026 cut supply of onions, sweet peppers and lettuce, while heavy rain damages leafy crops in a different way. Vendors at Spanish Town Market in late July cited extreme heat, heavy rainfall and higher fertiliser costs together. Unlike imported rice or flour, there is no shipping buffer between the field and the stall, so a bad three weeks shows up in the price immediately.
Are basic foods taxed in Jamaica?
Most staple items are exempt from or zero-rated for General Consumption Tax, including rice, flour, sugar, salt, cooking oil, fresh milk, bread, meat, seafood and many canned goods. That is why the prices you see on those items move with import, freight and manufacturing costs rather than with tax changes.
Is it cheaper to buy at the market or the supermarket?
For fresh produce, ground provisions and seasonings, the municipal markets are almost always cheaper than supermarkets - often by a wide margin, and more so if you buy in the quantities vendors prefer to sell. For packaged goods the supermarket usually wins, and the Consumer Affairs Commission comparison tool will tell you which chain is cheapest for your specific basket in your parish.
How often is this page updated?
Whenever a new dated survey is published. Every figure on this page carries the date and the market it came from, so you can see for yourself how fresh it is rather than trusting an undated table.
The cheapest food on the island is the food nobody wasted
Last Bite connects you to surplus food from local restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets at up to 70 per cent off. Same food, same day, lower price.