Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Austin, TX

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.

56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
128

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

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,172

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Montego Bay costs roughly 56% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.22 JMD 1,770

$21.34 $21.34

-47.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 JMD 12.2K

$87.9 $87.9

-12.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 JMD 1,268

$12.44 $12.44

-35.45%

Cappuccino

$5.47 JMD 862

$5.60 $5.60

-2.32%

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

$0.87 JMD 137

$3.65 $3.65

-76.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 JMD 92.3

$2.39 $2.39

-75.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 JMD 339

$7.82 $7.82

-72.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 JMD 488

$8.75 $8.75

-64.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.34 JMD 527

$1.12 $1.12

198.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 JMD 428

$3.62 $3.62

-25.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 JMD 225

$3.50 $3.50

-59.14%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$4.45 $4.45

-22.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,774

$13.18 $13.18

-14.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 967

$13.94 $13.94

-56.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.08 JMD 1,433

$16.46 $16.46

-44.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 JMD 639

$4.73 $4.73

-14.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 JMD 406

$1.50 $1.50

71.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,176

$4.64 $4.64

60.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 JMD 390

$4.52 $4.52

-45.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 JMD 394

$2.55 $2.55

-1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 413

$2.39 $2.39

9.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 JMD 405

$1.84 $1.84

39.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$2.13 $2.13

-63.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.66 JMD 1,525

$10.05 $10.05

-3.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.54 JMD 1,821

$14.88 $14.88

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 JMD 448

$2.82 $2.82

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 624

$3.29 $3.29

20.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 JMD 152

$1.23 $1.23

-21.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.43 $41.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 JMD 145

$2.68 $2.68

-65.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 JMD 503

$1.63 $1.63

95.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 JMD 966

$35.20 $35.20

-82.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 JMD 222

$0.98 $0.98

42.86%

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

$44.4K JMD 7.0M

$34.4K $34.4K

29.16%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$26.8K $26.8K

22.45%

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

$169 JMD 26.7K

$252 $252

-32.86%

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

$22.38 JMD 3,531

$59.8 $59.8

-62.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.50 JMD 7,653

$69.7 $69.7

-30.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.68 JMD 6,892

$60.4 $60.4

-27.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 $18.14

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 JMD 1,380

$13.75 $13.75

-36.36%

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

$356 JMD 56.2K

$1,458 $1,458

-75.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K JMD 2.8M

$26.6K $26.6K

-33.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.83 JMD 3,760

$52.6 $52.6

-54.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.35 JMD 4,947

$45.76 $45.76

-31.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 JMD 11.1K

$85.5 $85.5

-17.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.2K

$106 $106

-3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 JMD 49.2K

$2,195 $2,195

-85.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 JMD 34.5K

$1,269 $1,269

-82.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 JMD 150.8K

$4,000 $4,000

-76.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 JMD 146.5K

$2,406 $2,406

-61.42%

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)

$598 JMD 94.3K

$5,043 $5,043

-88.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

6.82

38.56%

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

Last update for Montego Bay: November 1, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$327 27.9%

Austin, TX

$407 15.2% 24.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$240 20.5%

Austin, TX

$382 14.2% 58.9% $142

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$218 18.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.2% 481% $1.1K

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$202 17.3%

Austin, TX

$356 13.2% 76.1% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$102 8.7%

Austin, TX

$130 4.9% 27.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$61 5.2%

Austin, TX

$88 3.3% 43.6% $27

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Austin, TX

$57 2.1% 176% $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 $312 in Montego Bay and $2,195 in Austin, TX. 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: $77 in Montego Bay vs $88 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $407 per month, with Montego Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

1 h behind Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

974,447

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

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).

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

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Montego Bay
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Montego Bay. 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: $312 in Montego Bay versus $2,195 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $356 in Montego Bay versus $1,458 in Austin, TX. 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.