Why read the Tourist Guide to Jamaican Money

We designed this Tourist Guide to Jamaican Money as a easy way to familiarize yourself with Jamaican money. If you are traveling to Jamaica for the first time, taking a few moments to read this article is a good idea. Having an idea of how Jamaican Dollars equate to US Dollars. (Euros, Canadian Dollars, Mexican Pesos, etc) Understanding Jamaican currency will help put your mind at ease while traveling on the island. We’ve separated this post into Jamaican Currency (paper money) and Jamaican Coins (coinage). If you’re not used to international travel or doing math on the fly, doing currency conversions to unfamiliar monetary units can be confusing. With «Camp Cabarita’s «Rule of 5 & 10» makes Jamaican foreign exchange easy and fast.

The Rule of 5 & 10

The fastest and best way to equate Jamaican prices to US Dollars is to memorize how many Jamaican Dollars equal $5 and $10. We call memorizing the Jamaican equivalent of $5 and $10, «the rule of 5 and 10.» This rule a works great for traveling to Jamaica (or any country for that matter).

Here’s how and why it works: Factors of 5 & 10 are easy to calculate and estimate when necessary. For example at the time this article is being written, 1 US Dollar equals about $130 Jamaican dollars:

$5 USD (U.S. Dollars) is $650 JMD (Jamaican Dollars)
$10 USD (U.S. Dollars) is $1300 JMD (Jamaican Dollars)

At this point it’s immediately is easy to calculate:

$2.50 USD (1/2 of 650) is about $325 JMD
$20 USD (2 x 1300) is about $2600 JMD
$50 USD (10 x 650) is about $6500 JMD
$100 USD (10 x 1300) is about $13,000 JMD

After you’ve committed the $5 & $10 conversions to memory, you’re ready to quickly and accurately estimate any price. Most Jamaicans involved in the tourist trade are also proficient at currency conversions, they commonly collect US Dollars, Pound Sterling, Euros & Canadian Dollars. Understanding what quoted or marked prices (taxi rates, menu items, etc) are actually cost will put your mind at ease during your trip.

Double check the value of Jamaican coinage before assuming a handful of change is adequate or equates to the amount your intending to leave as a tip. Chances are that pile of change isn’t as much as you think. If you found this Tourist Guide to Jamaican Money useful, and you’re interested in more tips on how to travel Jamaica like a pro check out our Jamaica Travel Guide.