Hi all
Looking to spend a couple of weeks in Jamaica and the Bahamas - Can anyone recommend the best value data sims for either or both countries. Not bothered about calls as will be using Skype.
Thanks - Jon
⭐️ Overall Score | 3.32/5 (Rank #231) |
👍 Quality of life score | Okay |
👶 Family score | Okay |
💵 Cost | 🙂 Okay: $2,503 / mo |
📡 Internet | 🏎 Fast: 13Mbps (avg) |
😝 Fun | Good |
⛅️ Temperature (now) | 🌞 Perfect: 29°C83°F (feels 36°C97°F) |
💦 Humidity (now) | 🥵 Sweaty: 87% |
💨 Air quality (now) | 🌱 Great: 17 US AQI |
👌 Safety | Bad |
🎓 Education level* | Mediocre |
💰 Income level* | Very Low: $407 / mo |
🙊 English speaking | Great |
🚶 Walkability | Bad |
✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) | Okay |
🚦 Traffic safety* | Okay |
🏥 Healthcare | Okay |
😄 Happiness | Okay |
🍸 Nightlife | Okay |
📶 Free WiFi in city | Okay |
🗯 Freedom of speech | Great |
👩 Female friendly | Okay |
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly | Bad |
🎅 Startup Score | Okay |
🌍 Region | Latin America |
🚩 Country | Jamaica |
⏱ Average trip duration | 10 days |
📡 Internet speed (avg) | 13 Mbps |
⛅️ Weather (now) | 🌥 29°C 83°F + 🥵 Sweaty (87%) = feels 36°C 97°F |
💨 Air quality (now) | 👍 17 US AQI 🍃 good |
🔌 Power | 115V50Hz |
🚑 Travel medical insurance | ![]() |
📱 Best wireless carrier | DigiCel |
💸 1,000 JMD in USD | USD 6.62 |
🏧 Suggested ATM take out: | JMD 10,000 = USD 66 |
💳 Cashless society | 💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners) |
☕️ Best coffee place | Starbucks |
🚰 Safe tap water | 🚫 No, not drinkable |
♻️ Return rate | 10% of visitors return |
👨👩👧👦 Population | 110,000 people |
👨👩👧👦 GDP per Capita | $4,879 / year |
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed | Yes |
⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious |
🏠 Apartment listings | FlipKey |
✈️ Best int'l air carrier | Caribbean Airlines |
💵 Cost of living for nomad | $2,503 / month |
💵 Cost of living for expat | $1,319 / month |
💵 Cost of living for family | $2,034 / month |
💵 Cost of living for local | $581 / month |
🏠 1br studio rent in center | $414 / month |
🏢 Coworking | $202 / month |
🏨 Hotel | $2,473 / month |
🏨 Hotel | $116 / night |
🏠 Airbnb (293 listings) | $2,652 / month |
🏠 Airbnb | $87 / night |
🍛 Dinner | $5 |
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $1 |
🍺 Beer (0.5L) | $2 |
☕️ Coffee | $2 |
Hi all
Looking to spend a couple of weeks in Jamaica and the Bahamas - Can anyone recommend the best value data sims for either or both countries. Not bothered about calls as will be using Skype.
Thanks - Jon
Digicel is definitely the way to go in Jamaica. The SIM card will cost you the equivalent of US$2.00. A 30 day 4GB LTE data plan will run you about US$25.
More info on their website: https://www.digicelgroup.com/jm/en/mobile/plans-services/prepaid-plans/Prepaid-LTE-Plans.html
I’m in Kingston.
Ah, just when I’m briefly back in Europe for the family Christmas and NY period! Oh, well. Have a great time.
I recommend Digicel for Jamaica, they have great coverage, fast 3G, lots of branches and an easy online top-up app. I think the alternative is Lime, but I haven’t tried them.
(When are you coming to JA? Say hi!)
Thanks! Will check out Digicel. We will be in Montego Bay from 3rd-12th Jan except for a visit to Kingston 6th-8th. If you’re anywhere in the vicinity let’s have a rum and coke!
Hey, a nomad in my country! We should meet.
We should! I’ll be in Kingston for another week or two before heading home for Christmas, then probably in Mo’Bay for longer when I get back…
✅ Fast internet
✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
✅ Warm now
✅ Warm all year round
✅ Good air quality on average
✅ Spacious and not crowded
✅ Easy to do business
✅ High quality of education
✅ Roads are pretty safe
✅ Great freedom of speech
✅ Democratic
✅ Everyone speaks English
✅ Safe for women
✅ Not many people smoke tobacco
❌ Expensive
❌ Not safe at all
❌ Very sweaty and humid now
❌ Very difficult to make friends
❌ Hospitals are not that great
❌ Not family friendly
❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
Feels | 8630° warm | 8630° warm | 8630° warm | 8831° hot | 9133° hot | 9736° hot | 9736° hot | 9736° hot | 9736° hot | 9133° hot | 8831° hot | 8831° hot |
Real | 8127° warm | 8127° warm | 8127° warm | 8228° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8630° very warm | 8429° very warm | 8228° very warm | 8228° very warm |
Humidity | sweaty 71% | sweaty 71% | sweaty 71% | sweaty 73% | sweaty 73% | sweaty 73% | sweaty 73% | sweaty 74% | sweaty 74% | sweaty 74% | sweaty 74% | sweaty 74% |
Rain | dry 48mm | dry 37mm | rainy 90mm | rainy 103mm | rainy 188mm | rainy 191mm | rainy 181mm | rainy 174mm | rainy 138mm | rainy 159mm | rainy 67mm | rainy 88mm |
Cloud | pockets 20% | pockets 21% | pockets 23% | pockets 24% | pockets 40% | pockets 30% | pockets 27% | pockets 34% | pockets 36% | pockets 37% | pockets 23% | pockets 31% |
Sun | sunburn 8 UVI | avoid sun 9 UVI | avoid sun 12 UVI | avoid sun 12 UVI | avoid sun 11 UVI | avoid sun 11 UVI | avoid sun 11 UVI | avoid sun 11 UVI | avoid sun 10 UVI | avoid sun 9 UVI | sunburn 8 UVI | sunburn 7 UVI |
Nomad List members | 1 people | 1 people | 1 people | 0 people | 1 people | 1 people | 2 people | 1 people | 2 people | 1 people | 3 people | 1 people |
Based on Montego Bay's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
Although I'm usually in Montego Bay, I always spend at least a week in Kingston whenever I'm in Jamaica. I've been there twice a year since 2017. Despite Montegonians warning me about how dangerous it is, using common sense, respecting the locals and their culture, and not being an asshat, unsurprisingly, goes a long way. I'm not big on tourist traps, but stopping by Devon House is a must. If it isn't for the history of its buildings or the beautiful gardens, stop and get an amazing curry goat p
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety badTap to open🌥 Feels 38° 100° 30° 85°🥵AQI 17✈️10min$2,154 / mo13Mbps×Extremely friendly and welcoming locals, and world-class scuba diving. The high cost of living and low walkability make George Town a poor fit for most digital nomads. Ideal situation would be to get a short-term gig from an employer that offers housing and a car. There's a good mix of tourists and professionals, good internet, and beautiful beaches.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 42° 108° 31° 87°🥵AQI 15✈️30min$5,949 / mo15Mbps×Havana is great for a vacation, not for remote work. One of the best thing here is the atmosphere - it means people, music, fun, nightlife. BUT the situation with food is very complicated, is hard to find literally anything, there are queues everywhere. The internet is expensive (2.5 GB of LTE for 8 dollars) and very unstable. If you don't need so much internet to your work and if you are patient enough, you can enjoy Havana as it is really interesting and unique city.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 36° 97° 29° 84°🥵AQI 15✈️55min$1,557 / mo4Mbps×Jarabacoa is an amazing town. It has a lot of local tourism from Dominicans so there are a lot of excursions like horseback riding, rafting, excursions, waterfalls, parasailing and more. Not as humid as other places in DR. Wouldnt stay here more than 2 weeks unless you are really into outdoorish mountains
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety badTap to open☀️ Feels 30° 86° 27° 81°AQI 22✈️1h$2,094 / mo13Mbps×Hot mess of a city, full of noise, fumes and trash. More of a dysfunctional, crowded urban sprawl than an organised city.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety badTap to open🌤 Feels 36° 97° 29° 83°🥵AQI 22✈️1h$1,574 / mo11Mbps×I guess if you're a nomad this doesn't matter much, but the long-term job pickings here are slim and among the most underpaid for a US city. There seems to be a tacit rent floor that means you won't find a good deal on housing. A lot of people don't seem very invested in their interpersonal relationships here since their ties to the area are often transient.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 32° 90° 27° 80°🥵AQI 47✈️1h$4,190 / mo41Mbps×Boston is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the capital of the state, the largest city in New England, and the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The city proper is home to about 617,900 people, making it the largest city in New England and the 26th largest in the United States.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 13° 55° 14° 57°AQI 38✈️4h$4,021 / mo35Mbps×How did you guys classified Penge as rich? It is one of the worst neighbourhood I have ever been in London, the ammount of people I know that have been robbed there is appalling.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 12° 54° 12° 53°AQI 134😷✈️10h$4,267 / mo23Mbps×I've lived in New York City - Brooklyn - for over 20 years. For visiting tourists, the best neighborhood to stay in is NOT Bushwick. Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Ft. Green or Brooklyn Heights is preferable. Plenty of good transportation in those areas - subway, buses or Uber. Easy access to beaches in Long Island and New Jersey. There's plenty to do in NYC. Great restaurants, Broadway plays (!), and in the summer you frequently can catch a free concert.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 11° 52° 13° 56°AQI 25✈️3h$4,876 / mo31Mbps×Orlando has lots to do, but it is very spaced out and requires a car to get around. This fact is obvious by the constant traffic. The airport has great access, but is always extremely busy. Visit a few times to see Disney and Universal, but there are many other cities I'd prefer to live and spend more time in.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🙂 Okay📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety very badTap to open🌤 Feels 28° 82° 26° 79°AQI 17✈️2h$2,927 / mo46Mbps×I've found it a great place to be a digital nomad. Good weather, great culture, creative people.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety very badTap to open☀️ Feels 19° 66° 19° 66°AQI 31✈️2h$3,440 / mo45Mbps×Overall, a pretty great place. Good restaurants and many breweries. Solid entertainment. It has all four seasons and lots of sunshine. Some homelessness issues downtown, like most cities.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety very badTap to open🌤 Feels 2° 36° 3° 37°AQI 25✈️5h$3,423 / mo53Mbps×Love living here! This was my 3rd foreign country and the first that both myself and my husband got to figure out together. I highly recommend getting a bike while you're here and immediately signing up for a coworking space (I use bunker coworking). Not all places have great wifi and you have to be specific on the upload/download speed that you require when contacting hosts with questions. Avoid tourist traps. Do not rent a place off of 5th Ave or 10th Ave unless you are in Playacar or way off
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety badTap to open🌥 Feels 37° 99° 29° 85°🥵AQI 26✈️1h$1,473 / mo13Mbps×Shanghai is a giant city and your experience really depends on a few factors like: 1) where you live in the city 2) do you speak basic Mandarin 3) do you make nice money 4) do you have to use the internet If you can afford to live in Jing'an or the French Concession, you can live a fashionable metropolitan lifestyle like you would in New York City. There's amazing food (Asian, Western and fusion). You'll be surrounded by entrepreneurs, artists, fashion designers and models. Many of whom d
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 22° 72° 22° 72°AQI 70✈️19h$2,117 / mo2Mbps×There are no digital nomad, hipster or tourist in Casablanca as the city is ugly, dirty and unsafe with heavy traffic. This is why I choose this place.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68°AQI 29✈️9h$1,717 / mo11Mbps×I lived for 4 years in Medellin. People its nice, friendly, nightlife its amazing and can be as crazy as you want, the city its cheap and really beautiful, i loved Medellin, best city of south america in my opinion. I recomend laureles more than el poblado but both places are great.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 21° 70° 21° 70°AQI 74✈️2h$1,066 / mo🌇 Also went here18 people×I've lived in New York City - Brooklyn - for over 20 years. For visiting tourists, the best neighborhood to stay in is NOT Bushwick. Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Ft. Green or Brooklyn Heights is preferable. Plenty of good transportation in those areas - subway, buses or Uber. Easy access to beaches in Long Island and New Jersey. There's plenty to do in NYC. Great restaurants, Broadway plays (!), and in the summer you frequently can catch a free concert.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety very badTap to open🌧 Feels 11° 52° 13° 56°AQI 25✈️3h$4,876 / mo🌇 Also went here19 people×Much nicer than people would have you think. Too many locals seem to be under the impression that it's the busiest, most expensive city in the world. These people clearly haven't travelled much. Not saying it's cheap, but for a big city in an English speaking country it's about what you'd expect, if not cheaper. Pros: - Hot humid summers, gorgeous orange autumns, cold snowy winters. If you like distinct seasons this is a great place to be. Winter is about 4-5 months, from Nov-Mar. Ignore every
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety badTap to open✈️4h$3,337 / mo🌇 Also went here21 people×It's great if you're woke, young & artsy. If you're just a regular guy in your 30's with no connections, you'll have a miserable time. Especially during the pandemic. It's not inexpensive and you get offered cocaine every 200 meters in the city center.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌧 Feels 16° 61° 16° 61°AQI 13✈️9h$2,125 / mo🌇 Also went here13 people×How did you guys classified Penge as rich? It is one of the worst neighbourhood I have ever been in London, the ammount of people I know that have been robbed there is appalling.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 12° 54° 12° 53°AQI 134😷✈️10h$4,267 / mo🌇 Also went here19 people×Super fun and beautiful city. I find Parisians are actually very patient and warm if you at least attempt to speak French; in my experience, most people who complain that they're rude are the ones making zero effort to speak the language. Expensive though and not very easy to meet other nomads.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 16° 61° 16° 62°AQI 147😷✈️10h$4,109 / mo🌇 Also went here20 people×Lived in Barcelona for a year and a half. I would agree that the weather is perfect and Barcelona does have a great tech scene as well as food and has everything landscape and lifestyle wise that you could think of. Bureaucracy isn't too bad if you nip it in the bu** early and have patience. Also, some clubs are free. (Jamboree!). The metro is also, very efficient with red and purple being the busiest lines. Very walkable city too. Plenty of opportunity to meet people as well. The beaches are ok
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 15° 59° 15° 59°AQI 40✈️10h$3,157 / mo🌇 Also went here19 people×Housing is an issue (so cost of living is high) but the city is beautiful and summer in Amsterdam is hard to beat with all the cultural activiies and music festivals. Would not want to live in the actual city center (inside the "grachtengordel") but have been living in East for over 2 years now and aside from the price (and size) of apartment life is just good here. Biking everywhere is bliss. Winter can be cold though.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 9° 48° 10° 50°AQI 63✈️11h$4,895 / mo🌇 Also went here14 people×Athens is a great city; much to do! It offers a balance of daily life and nightlife. Rents are extremely reasonable. Two of my colleagues and I decided to live in the northern suburbs near metro stations called Doukisis Plakentias. 15 minute underground ride to Athens centre. Mt. Pentelis which is very nearby offers and great trekking paths and clean air for those who love to be close to nature as well as close to the city. Nice shopping area too, like Halandri. Great restaurants, cafes, etc.,
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open☀️ Feels 21° 70° 20° 68°AQI 29✈️13h$3,038 / mo🌇 Also went here13 people×Hong Kong is a fabulous city - from big city living, to isolated beaches, outlying islands and hikes through mountainous terrain. The big downside is it's EXPENSIVE. You need to have a decent salary to live here - otherwise, it would be tough. Hong Kong island is the most expensive, but more affordable places are possible, the further you are willing to travel. It's quite a transient city, so probably pretty easy to make connections!
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety very badTap to open☀️ Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°AQI 67✈️20h$2,416 / mo🌇 Also went here14 people×Don't believe the prices on here for an apartment. 686 usd/month refers to an apartment in a high class condo, right in the city centre and seconds away from the BTS(train station). Just remember this, people working at supermarkets make 2 usd/per hour. If you want to live like a local, then you can save a lot of money. If you don't mind a 5-10 minute walk from the BTS, then you can easily get a one bedroom apartment for 300 USD per month, in a high class condo, plus with free golf cart ser
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌤 Feels 45° 113° 34° 93°🥵AQI 59✈️22h$1,419 / mo🌇 Also went here18 people×Only thing to add is that in general Saigon has terrible walkability. I love Saigon, lived there for 3 years. But motorbikes are always parked on the sidewalks so you constantly have to step onto the road which is a little hair raising. And if it's not motorbikes then there are restaurant tables scattered across the pavement. Plus the pavement is almost always cracked. I'm a pretty chill person. But going for a random walk in Saigon always leaves me kind of irritated after a while. Of course the
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 47° 117° 32° 90°🥵AQI 68✈️22h$976 / mo🌇 Also went here14 people×First time I was in KL was in 2015 as a backpacking student. I stayed for 2 weeks at an airbnb in Bangsar South and I loved it. Met up with Uni friends, made new friends and I really like the relaxed atmosphere, despite being in a huge city. Fast forward, 3 years later, I went by myself to KL for a 3 days stay on a visa run from Chiang Mai. I stayed in a hotel near Bukit Bintang. I actually really didn't like it - I think because I was by myself, in a fairly wild part of the city and got so us
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 40° 104° 30° 86°🥵AQI 57✈️23h$1,296 / mo🌇 Also went here18 people×They say you get what you pay for. After having traveled the previous 4 months in India, Cambodia, VietNam, Myanmar and Thailand, Singapore was so easy! The subway system is a marvel, streets signs were easy to read, everyone speaks English (that just makes it easy for me as an English speaker) it is safe, clean, and parks are gorgeous. I was there as COVID 19 was breaking out fairly fast and that put a damper on my time but I was so happy to be there anyway and plan to go back. For digital
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 🙂 Okay📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 42° 108° 31° 87°🥵AQI 42✈️24h$2,904 / mo🌇 Also went here16 people×Bali is amazing, but Canggu isn't really that great -- actually there are SO MANY better places, like Uluwatu, Gili Islands or even Ubud that I can't understand the hype. As almost everyone said below, beaches are crappy, roads are terrible, sidewalks are non-existent and having a motorbike is a must. On the other side, food is great and cafes are pretty reasonable with all those incredible bowls. Anyway I wouldn't recommend it for more than a week.
⭐️ Overall Score 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 Internet 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86°🥵AQI 45✈️24h$1,345 / mo🌇 Also went here14 people×
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