Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,172 a month against $2,689 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Montego Bay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Montego Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,689 in Austin, TX versus $1,172 in Montego Bay.

Austin, TX $2,689
Montego Bay $1,172

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,112 in Austin, TX versus $2,155 in Montego Bay.

Austin, TX $4,112
Montego Bay $2,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,534 in Austin, TX versus $3,137 in Montego Bay.

Austin, TX $5,534
Montego Bay $3,137

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 129% more expensive than in Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Montego Bay is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.34 $21.34

$11.22 JMD 1,770

90.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 $87.9

$77.1 JMD 12.2K

14.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$8.03 JMD 1,268

54.92%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$5.47 JMD 862

2.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$0.87 JMD 137

319.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.58 JMD 92.3

312.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 $7.82

$2.15 JMD 339

263.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.75 $8.75

$3.09 JMD 488

183.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.34 JMD 527

-66.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.71 JMD 428

33.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.43 JMD 225

144.76%

Eggs

$4.45 $4.45

$3.47 JMD 548

28.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$11.24 JMD 1,774

17.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 $13.94

$6.13 JMD 967

127.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 $16.46

$9.08 JMD 1,433

81.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$4.05 JMD 639

16.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.57 JMD 406

-41.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$7.45 JMD 1,176

-37.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.47 JMD 390

83.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.50 JMD 394

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.62 JMD 413

-8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.57 JMD 405

-28.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.77 JMD 121

176.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.05 $10.05

$9.66 JMD 1,525

4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 $14.88

$11.54 JMD 1,821

28.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.84 JMD 448

-0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.96 JMD 624

-16.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.97 JMD 152

26.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.92 JMD 145

191.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.19 JMD 503

-48.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.20 $35.20

$6.12 JMD 966

475.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.40 JMD 222

-30.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.4K $34.4K

$44.4K JMD 7.0M

-22.58%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.8K $26.8K

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-18.34%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$252 $252

$169 JMD 26.7K

48.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.8 $59.8

$22.38 JMD 3,531

167.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$48.50 JMD 7,653

43.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$43.68 JMD 6,892

38.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 $13.75

$8.75 JMD 1,380

57.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,458 $1,458

$356 JMD 56.2K

309.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K $26.6K

$17.7K JMD 2.8M

49.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$23.83 JMD 3,760

120.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 $45.76

$31.35 JMD 4,947

45.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$70.1 JMD 11.1K

21.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$102 JMD 16.2K

3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 $2,195

$312 JMD 49.2K

603.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$218 JMD 34.5K

480.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,000 $4,000

$956 JMD 150.8K

318.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$928 JMD 146.5K

159.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,381 $7,381

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,964 $2,964

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,043 $5,043

$598 JMD 94.3K

743.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

9.45

-27.83%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2%

Montego Bay

$218 18.6% 82.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$407 15.2%

Montego Bay

$327 27.9% 19.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$382 14.2%

Montego Bay

$240 20.5% 37.1% $142

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$356 13.2%

Montego Bay

$202 17.3% 43.2% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$130 4.9%

Montego Bay

$102 8.7% 21.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$88 3.3%

Montego Bay

$61 5.2% 30.4% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.1%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 63.8% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,195 in Austin, TX and $312 in Montego Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Austin, TX vs $77 in Montego Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $327 per month, with Montego Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

110,115

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

JMD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Montego Bay 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Montego Bay

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montego Bay wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montego Bay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 8.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,195 in Austin, TX versus $312 in Montego Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,458 in Austin, TX versus $356 in Montego Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montego Bay – a meal for two runs $77 versus $88 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Montego Bay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Montego Bay wins on affordability, Austin, TX on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.