Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,075 a month against $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Montego Bay despite lower rent and utilities.

57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montego Bay and in Asuncion

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

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $1,075 in Asuncion, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
Asuncion $1,075

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Montego Bay vs $1,684 in Asuncion, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,141
Asuncion $1,684

A family of three spends $3,113 per month in Montego Bay vs $2,292 in Asuncion, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,113
Asuncion $2,292

Montego Bay costs about 9% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montego Bay and Asuncion are more affordable than the global median – Montego Bay 13% lower, Asuncion 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$7.15 ₲40.6K

55.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$43.57 ₲247.8K

69.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,319

$7.10 ₲40.4K

17.61%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$3.51 ₲20.0K

48.72%

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

$0.94 JMD 149

$1.05 ₲5,980

-10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$0.58 ₲3,289

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$1.89 ₲10.8K

14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 484

$1.74 ₲9,906

75.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.30 JMD 522

$1.29 ₲7,321

155.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 JMD 413

$1.50 ₲8,514

74.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 217

$1.39 ₲7,922

-0.72%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$2.48 ₲14.1K

40.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,775

$9.74 ₲55.4K

15.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 968

$5.19 ₲29.5K

18.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 JMD 1,430

$10.07 ₲57.2K

-10.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 JMD 637

$2.99 ₲17.0K

34.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$1.32 ₲7,493

91.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 JMD 1,151

$1.19 ₲6,742

511.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 JMD 388

$2.47 ₲14.1K

-0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 386

$1.40 ₲7,984

74.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$1.33 ₲7,562

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 JMD 403

$0.92 ₲5,243

177.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$0.77 ₲4,372

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,447

$2.43 ₲13.8K

276.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$9.08 ₲51.6K

22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$1.42 ₲8,064

97.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 JMD 640

$1.79 ₲10.2K

126.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 JMD 152

$0.58 ₲3,315

65.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 147

$1.54 ₲8,735

-39.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.62 ₲9,204

95.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 JMD 988

$10.44 ₲59.4K

-40.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.29 ₲7,320

4.65%

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

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

$17.5K ₲99.5M

152.27%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

$35.0K ₲199.2M

-6.85%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$51.5 ₲293.0K

228.93%

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

$22.58 JMD 3,567

$17.68 ₲100.5K

27.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 JMD 7,477

$22.35 ₲127.1K

111.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 JMD 7,038

$36.60 ₲208.1K

21.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 JMD 1,367

$8.89 ₲50.6K

-2.70%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$190 ₲1.1M

86.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

$5,930 ₲33.7M

38.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.50 JMD 3,713

$64.7 ₲368.0K

-63.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 JMD 4,866

$57.9 ₲329.4K

-46.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

$107 ₲610.0K

-36.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$73.3 ₲416.8K

39.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 JMD 50.2K

$645 ₲3.7M

-50.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.1K

$385 ₲2.2M

-42.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$1,061 ₲6.0M

-11.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$654 ₲3.7M

42.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 JMD 94.0K

$747 ₲4.2M

-20.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

10.5

-10.00%

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

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$323 27.7%

Asuncion

$217 20.2% 32.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$239 20.5%

Asuncion

$92 8.5% 61.8% $148

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$222 19%

Asuncion

$385 35.9% 73.3% $163

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$200 17.1%

Asuncion

$140 13% 30.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$101 8.6%

Asuncion

$136 12.7% 35.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$62 5.3%

Asuncion

$54 5.1% 12.1% $7.5

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Asuncion

$50 4.6% 142% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $318 in Montego Bay versus $645 in Asuncion. 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 26% higher in Asuncion, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Montego Bay versus $44.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $217 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

2 h ahead of Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montego Bay Asuncion 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
Asuncion

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

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

Yes – Montego Bay is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,753 per month in Montego Bay and $1,613 in Asuncion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asuncion, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,169 in Montego Bay and $1,075 in Asuncion. That's a gap of about 9%.

Kindergarten costs $355 per month in Montego Bay and $190 in Asuncion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Asuncion, where all-in costs run around $1,075, than in Montego Bay at $1,169. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montego Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asuncion – 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 Asuncion. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montego Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.