Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,668 in Kingston versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Kingston $1,668
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,779 in Kingston versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Kingston $2,779
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,890 in Kingston versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Kingston $3,890
Montreal $4,092

Living in Kingston costs roughly 17% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kingston 24% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.57 JMD 2,142

$19.31 CA$27.52

-29.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$75.5 CA$108

-1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 JMD 1,256

$10.63 CA$15.15

-25.21%

Cappuccino

$5.47 JMD 863

$3.93 CA$5.60

39.19%

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

$1.14 JMD 179

$1.92 CA$2.73

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 118

$1.48 CA$2.11

-49.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$6.30 CA$8.98

-64.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 JMD 494

$7.19 CA$10.24

-56.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.12 JMD 651

$2.22 CA$3.17

85.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 JMD 598

$3.06 CA$4.36

23.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 250

$2.94 CA$4.19

-45.92%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 562

$3.53 CA$5.03

0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 JMD 1,772

$13.19 CA$18.79

-14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 JMD 1,023

$11.24 CA$16.02

-42.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 JMD 1,614

$13.81 CA$19.69

-26.00%

Apples (1kg)

$5.89 JMD 930

$3.40 CA$4.85

73.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.90 JMD 616

$1.44 CA$2.06

170.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.34 JMD 1,159

$3.26 CA$4.65

125.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 483

$2.88 CA$4.10

6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 510

$1.86 CA$2.65

73.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 JMD 421

$1.82 CA$2.60

46.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 JMD 481

$2.43 CA$3.46

25.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 239

$1.52 CA$2.17

-0.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.51 JMD 1,502

$11.45 CA$16.32

-16.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 JMD 1,787

$10.36 CA$14.76

9.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 JMD 446

$2.22 CA$3.16

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 JMD 647

$2.82 CA$4.02

45.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 JMD 123

$2.58 CA$3.67

-69.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.32 JMD 5,893

$76.9 CA$110

-51.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 JMD 195

$3.25 CA$4.64

-61.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 JMD 503

$1.48 CA$2.11

114.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 JMD 1,020

$33.04 CA$47.09

-80.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 JMD 224

$1.36 CA$1.94

4.41%

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

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

$27.4K CA$39.1K

62.84%

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

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

$20.0K CA$28.5K

64.52%

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

$169 JMD 26.6K

$76.1 CA$109

121.57%

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

$29.11 JMD 4,597

$34.68 CA$49.43

-16.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 JMD 8,360

$42.69 CA$60.9

24.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 JMD 9,869

$28.94 CA$41.26

115.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 JMD 2,783

$20.33 CA$28.97

-13.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 JMD 2,097

$11.21 CA$15.98

18.47%

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

$357 JMD 56.4K

$505 CA$720

-29.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-49.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.85 JMD 3,766

$58.5 CA$83.4

-59.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.37 JMD 4,953

$38.00 CA$54.2

-17.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 JMD 12.3K

$92.7 CA$132

-15.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.0K

$106 CA$151

-4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 JMD 151.1K

$1,240 CA$1,768

-22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 JMD 91.0K

$986 CA$1,405

-41.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 JMD 337.7K

$2,102 CA$2,996

1.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 JMD 219.7K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-13.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,892 JMD 456.6K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-42.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,080 JMD 328.4K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-45.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$733 JMD 115.7K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-74.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.46

111.88%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$576 34.2%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 71% $410

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$384 22.8%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 10.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$251 14.9%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 38.8% $97

Eating Out

Kingston

$223 13.2%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 31.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$106 6.3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 25.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$89 5.3%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 42.3% $38

Getting Around

Kingston

$58 3.4%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 69.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Kingston and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 299% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Kingston vs $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $344, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Kingston

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

660,000 Capital

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

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Between locations

Kingston Montreal 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
Montreal

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

Kingston vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 299% lower in Montreal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $957 in Kingston versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $357 in Kingston versus $505 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Montreal pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kingston and Montreal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.