Short answer: less than you fear, more than the "J$500 a day" posts suggest. Here is how the money actually moves.
What a click costs
Google charges per click, and the price depends on how many businesses want the same search. From the Jamaican accounts we run and audit, typical ranges are: US$0.20–0.60 for local services in smaller towns (repairs, pest control, salons), US$0.50–1.50 for Kingston and Montego Bay services, US$1–3 for car rental, villas and tours (because international companies bid on them too), and US$2–6 for loans and insurance. Treat these as ranges, not promises — your own numbers appear within a week of running.
What a lead costs
Clicks are not customers. If one in eight clicks becomes a WhatsApp message, a US$0.60 click is a US$4.80 lead. If one in twenty does, it is US$12. The landing page decides that ratio more than the ad does — which is why we check or fix the page before spending.
A sensible starting budget
US$8–15 a day (roughly J$1,300–2,400) is enough for most local businesses to get real data within two weeks. Below US$5 a day the campaign starves and you learn nothing. Above US$30 a day only makes sense once you know your cost per lead and your close rate.
Management fees
Agencies in Jamaica charge either a flat monthly fee, a percentage of spend, or per lead. Ask what you get for it: daily negative-keyword work in the first weeks, conversion tracking on WhatsApp and calls, and a weekly report are the minimum. If the agency cannot tell you your cost per lead, you are paying for clicks, not customers.
The three mistakes that make it expensive
- Broad match with no negatives. Your "car rental" ad shows for "car rental jobs". Trim it daily at first.
- Sending clicks to the homepage. Send them to a page about that one thing, with a WhatsApp button at the top.
- No tracking. If Google does not know which clicks became leads, it cannot find more of them.
Is it worth it?
If customers search for what you sell and you can answer a lead within minutes, yes — it is the most predictable channel in Jamaica. If you sell something nobody searches for yet, start with Meta ads or outreach instead.