Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,256 a month against $2,297 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,297

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Portmore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,297 in Calgary versus $1,256 in Portmore.

Calgary $2,297
Portmore $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,378 in Calgary versus $2,080 in Portmore.

Calgary $3,378
Portmore $2,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,459 in Calgary versus $2,904 in Portmore.

Calgary $4,459
Portmore $2,904

Living in Calgary is roughly 83% more expensive than in Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calgary is 70% above, Portmore is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 CA$25.15

$10.43 JMD 1,646

72.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 CA$96.5

$62.8 JMD 9,910

9.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 CA$15.33

$8.29 JMD 1,308

31.97%

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.19

$5.37 JMD 847

-31.10%

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

$2.07 CA$2.90

$0.92 JMD 145

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 CA$2.86

$0.66 JMD 104

209.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 CA$8.05

$2.21 JMD 349

159.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 CA$7.99

$2.22 JMD 350

156.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.77

$3.01 JMD 475

-34.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.71

$3.56 JMD 562

-25.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 CA$8.18

$1.04 JMD 164

461.54%

Eggs

$3.81 CA$5.35

$3.50 JMD 552

8.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.15

$11.40 JMD 1,799

-5.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.02 CA$15.45

$6.35 JMD 1,002

73.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 CA$25.06

$9.37 JMD 1,478

90.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.88 CA$6.84

$6.08 JMD 959

-19.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$3.98 JMD 628

-63.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.82

$2.93 JMD 463

41.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.59

$3.00 JMD 474

33.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$3.16 JMD 499

-7.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$2.62 JMD 414

15.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 CA$3.74

$1.60 JMD 252

66.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$1.29 JMD 204

21.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 CA$19.77

$9.67 JMD 1,525

45.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.66

$11.19 JMD 1,766

38.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$2.75 JMD 434

-9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$2.25 JMD 356

41.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 CA$3.99

$2.21 JMD 348

28.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 CA$126

$50.8 JMD 8,008

77.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 CA$4.43

$0.96 JMD 152

229.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 CA$1.97

$3.21 JMD 506

-56.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.46 CA$38.49

$6.40 JMD 1,010

329.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.27 JMD 200

-7.09%

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

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$44.7K JMD 7.0M

-37.64%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

-36.49%

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

$182 CA$255

$157 JMD 24.8K

15.54%

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

$36.01 CA$50.5

$28.95 JMD 4,568

24.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.80 CA$68.4

$52.5 JMD 8,284

-7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.78 CA$68.4

$60.5 JMD 9,539

-19.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.15 CA$25.45

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 CA$20.35

$12.98 JMD 2,048

11.86%

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

$542 CA$760

$285 JMD 44.9K

90.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$3,124 JMD 492.9K

577.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 CA$82.8

$23.32 JMD 3,679

153.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.34 CA$59.4

$31.64 JMD 4,992

33.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 CA$132

$77.5 JMD 12.2K

21.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$95.9 JMD 15.1K

13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 CA$1,702

$321 JMD 50.6K

278.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 CA$1,453

$220 JMD 34.8K

370.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 CA$2,867

$666 JMD 105.1K

207.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CA$2,319

$589 JMD 92.9K

181.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CA$5,121

$7,530 JMD 1.2M

-51.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,183 CA$4,462

$5,830 JMD 920.0K

-45.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 CA$4,512

$1,288 JMD 203.2K

149.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.43

9.45

-53.12%

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

Last update for Calgary: November 2, 2026

Last update for Portmore: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45.1%

Portmore

$220 17.6% 78.7% $816

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$390 17%

Portmore

$336 26.8% 13.7% $54

Eating Out

Calgary

$277 12.1%

Portmore

$195 15.5% 29.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$267 11.6%

Portmore

$239 19% 10.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$137 6%

Portmore

$103 8.2% 24.9% $34

Getting Around

Calgary

$112 4.9%

Portmore

$77 6.1% 31.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$78 3.4%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 11% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Calgary and $321 in Portmore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Calgary vs $63 in Portmore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $336 per month, with Portmore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

170,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Calgary Portmore 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
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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

Calgary vs Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmore is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Calgary is about 2.5 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: $1,214 in Calgary versus $321 in Portmore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Portmore – a meal for two runs $63 versus $69 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,297 per month in Calgary versus $1,256 in Portmore – Portmore is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Portmore 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.

Expats usually find Portmore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.