Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin 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 Medellin and in Montego Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,160 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Montego Bay $2,160

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,152 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Montego Bay $3,152

Medellin costs about 40% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Montego Bay is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$11.11 JMD 1,755

-27.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

-38.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.33 JMD 1,316

14.05%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$5.38 JMD 850

-44.05%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.86 JMD 136

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.74 JMD 117

90.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.23 JMD 352

42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.21 JMD 507

79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$3.25 JMD 514

-53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.64 JMD 418

-9.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.38 JMD 218

28.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.50 JMD 553

-17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.40 JMD 1,801

-10.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$6.35 JMD 1,004

55.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.88 JMD 1,403

57.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.28 JMD 676

-7.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.56 JMD 404

-39.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$7.18 JMD 1,134

-69.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.56 JMD 405

-14.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.50 JMD 395

-21.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.61 JMD 412

-39.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$2.50 JMD 395

-54.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.80 JMD 127

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$9.50 JMD 1,501

-58.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.47 JMD 1,812

19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.89 JMD 457

-42.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.93 JMD 621

-42.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.95 JMD 150

23.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.91 JMD 144

39.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$3.17 JMD 501

-35.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.33 JMD 1,000

35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.39 JMD 220

-2.88%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-22.38%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

5.12%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$167 JMD 26.3K

1.78%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$22.32 JMD 3,526

-39.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$47.00 JMD 7,426

-40.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$43.62 JMD 6,892

0.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.63 JMD 1,363

-19.93%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$365 JMD 57.7K

118.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,368 JMD 1.3M

8.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$23.16 JMD 3,659

265.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$31.56 JMD 4,986

83.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$68.9 JMD 10.9K

95.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$103 JMD 16.2K

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$313 JMD 49.4K

286.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$220 JMD 34.8K

191.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$951 JMD 150.3K

113.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$955 JMD 150.9K

5.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$590 JMD 93.2K

11.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.45

15.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Montego Bay

$220 18.8% 65.7% $422

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Montego Bay

$327 28% 10.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Montego Bay

$236 20.2% 11.7% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Montego Bay

$202 17.3% 19.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Montego Bay

$102 8.7% 39.8% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 78% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Montego Bay

$61 5.2% 5.8% $3.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $313 in Montego Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $76 in Montego Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $327 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

110,115

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Montego Bay 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,753 in Montego Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montego Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $76 in Montego Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,169 in Montego Bay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montego Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Montego Bay. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.