Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Cordoba

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,368 in Cordoba, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Cordoba
Learn more

Cordoba Living Index

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Cordoba

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $1,368 in Cordoba, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
Cordoba $1,368

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Montego Bay vs $2,259 in Cordoba, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,141
Cordoba $2,259

A family of three spends $3,113 per month in Montego Bay vs $3,150 in Cordoba, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,113
Cordoba $3,150

Montego Bay is about 15% cheaper than Cordoba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montego Bay sits 13% below the global median, while Cordoba is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$13.43 ARS 20.4K

-17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$54.9 ARS 83.3K

34.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,319

$13.03 ARS 19.8K

-35.92%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$3.59 ARS 5,447

45.40%

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

$0.94 JMD 149

$2.55 ARS 3,871

-63.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$2.11 ARS 3,198

-66.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$3.38 ARS 5,132

-35.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 484

$3.78 ARS 5,729

-19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.30 JMD 522

$1.68 ARS 2,553

96.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 JMD 413

$2.76 ARS 4,194

-5.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 217

$2.06 ARS 3,122

-33.01%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$2.38 ARS 3,609

46.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,775

$10.06 ARS 15.3K

11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 968

$8.02 ARS 12.2K

-23.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 JMD 1,430

$11.62 ARS 17.6K

-22.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 JMD 637

$2.44 ARS 3,704

65.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$2.28 ARS 3,462

10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 JMD 1,151

$1.61 ARS 2,436

352.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 JMD 388

$2.91 ARS 4,419

-15.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 386

$1.18 ARS 1,794

106.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$1.34 ARS 2,041

98.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 JMD 403

$1.23 ARS 1,861

107.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$1.76 ARS 2,668

-56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,447

$5.10 ARS 7,734

79.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$4.86 ARS 7,372

129.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.26 ARS 3,424

23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 JMD 640

$3.64 ARS 5,518

11.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 JMD 152

$1.27 ARS 1,921

-24.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 ARS 84.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 147

$1.28 ARS 1,950

-27.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.95 ARS 2,958

62.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 JMD 988

$7.18 ARS 10.9K

-12.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.16 ARS 1,757

16.38%

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

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

$35.6K ARS 54.1M

23.97%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

$35.2K ARS 53.4M

-7.19%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$162 ARS 245.7K

4.68%

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

$22.58 JMD 3,567

$17.47 ARS 26.5K

29.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 JMD 7,477

$31.87 ARS 48.4K

48.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 JMD 7,038

$28.21 ARS 42.8K

57.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ARS 34.5K

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 JMD 1,367

$9.91 ARS 15.0K

-12.71%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$218 ARS 330.8K

62.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

$4,059 ARS 6.2M

102.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.50 JMD 3,713

$125 ARS 190.0K

-81.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 JMD 4,866

$105 ARS 158.8K

-70.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-51.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$134 ARS 203.4K

-23.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 JMD 50.2K

$483 ARS 732.5K

-34.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.1K

$304 ARS 460.6K

-26.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$986 ARS 1.5M

-5.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$784 ARS 1.2M

19.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 ARS 4.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,613 ARS 2.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 JMD 94.0K

$658 ARS 998.3K

-9.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

48.5

-80.52%

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

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cordoba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$323 27.7%

Cordoba

$275 20.1% 15% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$239 20.5%

Cordoba

$211 15.4% 11.8% $28

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$222 19%

Cordoba

$304 22.2% 36.5% $81

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$200 17.1%

Cordoba

$233 17% 16.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$101 8.6%

Cordoba

$226 16.6% 124% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$62 5.3%

Cordoba

$48 3.5% 22.3% $14

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Cordoba

$72 5.2% 247% $51

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 $483 in Cordoba. 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 Cordoba, 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 $74.0 in Montego Bay versus $55.0 in Cordoba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $275 – making Cordoba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇦🇷 Cordoba

🕒 Local time

03:01 3:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

2 h ahead of Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

1,655,481

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montego Bay Cordoba 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
Cordoba

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 Cordoba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cordoba is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,753 per month in Montego Bay and $2,052 in Cordoba. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Montego Bay and $55.0 in Cordoba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Cordoba – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Cordoba at $1,368. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cordoba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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