A FIWIBUSINESS GUIDE · BUILDING IN JAMAICA
Architectural inspiration
01 / THE COST BREAKDOWN
The quick answer to the question. What’s the cost to build a 2 bed room house in Jamaica? Well it depends if you are doing low end finishes the cost is JA$13,500 (USD$90) or JA$19,500 (USD$130) for high end finishes per square foot. Please note these prices includes both material and labour.
So for a typical 2-bedroom house in Jamaica, which is usually 900 square feet, the cost would be approximately:
...at the exchange rate of 150USD.
Reference figures: Confirm current construction prices and fees before budgeting. This article quotes JMD 13.59 million; at JMD 150 per USD, USD 90,000 converts to JMD 13.50 million.
02 / WHAT SHAPES THE PRICE
While those are typical costs, it is never as simple as that. There are various other factors that comes into consideration before a final cost is determined & the contract signed for work to begin.
These include…
In fact, I just learned that the parish council (the local governmental body responsible for approval of buildings) has changed their method of calculating building costs and fees.
The rate they are now recommending is $90,000 JMD per square meter. In the recent past, it was 6,000JMD per square foot – yes including material and labour.
Their fee has also been changed from $120 JMD per square foot to a rate now of .02% of the total value of the work.
And no, I never meant to confuse you, that’s the nature of this industry now. Notice that you get some quotes in meters and some in feet which doesn’t help the average builder either. Where there were flat rates, they are now quoting percentages (%s).
It is partly for these reasons why I believe you, more than ever, need someone professional, dependable and credible to handle your local building matters.
MAKE IT YOUR SIZE
Use the guide’s published rates to compare sizes and finishes.
Enter a floor area between 100 and 10,000 sq ft.
Includes materials and labour at the article’s rates. USD uses JMD 150 = USD 1. These are reference calculations; get a current quotation for your project.
03 / EXPERIENCES & EXPERT PERSPECTIVES
04 / FIND MATERIALS LOCALLY