Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Montego Bay vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,141
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,113 per month in Montego Bay vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,113
Montreal $4,152

Montego Bay is about 42% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montego Bay sits 13% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$18.82 CA$26.61

-40.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$70.3 CA$99.4

5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,319

$10.66 CA$15.06

-21.67%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$3.84 CA$5.43

35.94%

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

$0.94 JMD 149

$1.92 CA$2.71

-51.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$1.54 CA$2.18

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$6.23 CA$8.81

-65.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 484

$7.10 CA$10.03

-56.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.30 JMD 522

$2.31 CA$3.27

42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 JMD 413

$3.14 CA$4.44

-16.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 217

$3.21 CA$4.54

-57.01%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$3.52 CA$4.97

-1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,775

$12.81 CA$18.11

-12.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 968

$11.46 CA$16.20

-46.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 JMD 1,430

$13.39 CA$18.92

-32.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 JMD 637

$3.14 CA$4.43

28.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$1.44 CA$2.03

75.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 JMD 1,151

$3.47 CA$4.91

109.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 JMD 388

$3.07 CA$4.34

-20.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 386

$1.90 CA$2.69

28.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$1.77 CA$2.50

50.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 JMD 403

$2.34 CA$3.31

8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$1.55 CA$2.19

-50.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,447

$11.38 CA$16.09

-19.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$10.63 CA$15.03

4.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.27 CA$3.21

23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 JMD 640

$2.82 CA$3.99

43.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 JMD 152

$2.66 CA$3.76

-63.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 147

$3.20 CA$4.53

-70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.48 CA$2.09

114.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 JMD 988

$32.88 CA$46.48

-80.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.34 CA$1.90

0.75%

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

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

56.88%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

66.28%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$76.0 CA$107

123.14%

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

$22.58 JMD 3,567

$33.95 CA$48.00

-33.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 JMD 7,477

$42.31 CA$59.8

11.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 JMD 7,038

$29.76 CA$42.07

49.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 JMD 1,367

$11.15 CA$15.77

-22.42%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$507 CA$717

-30.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-48.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.50 JMD 3,713

$57.6 CA$81.4

-59.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 JMD 4,866

$37.58 CA$53.1

-18.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

$91.9 CA$130

-26.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$110 CA$155

-6.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 JMD 50.2K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-74.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.1K

$948 CA$1,340

-76.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-56.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-42.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 JMD 94.0K

$2,827 CA$3,997

-78.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.48

110.94%

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

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$323 27.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 7.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$239 20.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 36.4% $87

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$222 19%

Montreal

$948 47% 326% $725

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$200 17.1%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 43.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$101 8.6%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 32.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$62 5.3%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 15.8% $9.8

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 378% $78

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 $1,260 in Montreal. 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 375% higher in Montreal, 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 $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Montego Bay vs $346 in Montreal – so Montego Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

1 h ahead of Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montego Bay Montreal 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
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

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

Montreal costs about 73% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,753 per month in Montego Bay and $3,027 in Montreal. 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 $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.