Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $45,400 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
239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montego Bay and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $4,950 in New York, NY, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
New York, NY $4,950

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Montego Bay vs $7,265 in New York, NY, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,141
New York, NY $7,265

A family of three spends $3,113 per month in Montego Bay vs $9,581 in New York, NY, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,113
New York, NY $9,581

Montego Bay is about 76% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montego Bay sits 13% below the global median, while New York, NY is 267% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$24.65 $24.65

-54.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$122 $122

-39.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 JMD 1,319

$13.91 $13.91

-39.97%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 825

$6.59 $6.59

-20.79%

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

$0.94 JMD 149

$3.84 $3.84

-75.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 JMD 110

$2.87 $2.87

-75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$7.79 $7.79

-72.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 484

$9.85 $9.85

-68.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.30 JMD 522

$1.38 $1.38

139.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 JMD 413

$4.68 $4.68

-44.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 217

$7.54 $7.54

-81.70%

Eggs

$3.48 JMD 550

$5.93 $5.93

-41.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.24 JMD 1,775

$18.83 $18.83

-40.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 JMD 968

$17.36 $17.36

-64.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 JMD 1,430

$18.51 $18.51

-51.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 JMD 637

$6.74 $6.74

-40.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 JMD 400

$2.09 $2.09

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.28 JMD 1,151

$6.07 $6.07

19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 JMD 388

$6.74 $6.74

-63.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 JMD 386

$4.05 $4.05

-39.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 JMD 420

$4.37 $4.37

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 JMD 403

$2.89 $2.89

-11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 JMD 121

$2.60 $2.60

-70.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 JMD 1,447

$18.72 $18.72

-51.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 JMD 1,760

$20.06 $20.06

-44.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$3.25 $3.25

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 JMD 640

$3.73 $3.73

8.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 JMD 152

$3.06 $3.06

-68.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 JMD 147

$3.04 $3.04

-69.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$2.15 $2.15

47.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 JMD 988

$41.82 $41.82

-85.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.12 $1.12

20.54%

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

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

$35.5K $35.5K

24.58%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

$26.0K $26.0K

25.35%

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

$170 JMD 26.8K

$219 $219

-22.61%

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

$22.58 JMD 3,567

$73.2 $73.2

-69.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.32 JMD 7,477

$72.0 $72.0

-34.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 JMD 7,038

$123 $123

-63.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 JMD 1,367

$22.85 $22.85

-62.14%

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

$355 JMD 56.0K

$3,333 $3,333

-89.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

$60.0K $60.0K

-86.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.50 JMD 3,713

$75.2 $75.2

-68.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 JMD 4,866

$52.4 $52.4

-41.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

$122 $122

-44.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$133 $133

-23.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$318 JMD 50.2K

$4,389 $4,389

-92.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 JMD 35.1K

$3,130 $3,130

-92.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$8,918 $8,918

-89.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 JMD 147.6K

$5,354 $5,354

-82.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 JMD 94.0K

$5,343 $5,343

-88.87%

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: October 11, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$323 27.7%

New York, NY

$545 11% 68.6% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$239 20.5%

New York, NY

$364 7.4% 52.1% $125

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$222 19%

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2% 1307% $2.9K

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$200 17.1%

New York, NY

$404 8.2% 102% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$101 8.6%

New York, NY

$172 3.5% 70.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$62 5.3%

New York, NY

$168 3.4% 172% $107

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

New York, NY

$167 3.4% 707% $146

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 $4,389 in New York, NY. 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 798% higher in New York, NY, 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 $122 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $545 – making Montego Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

02:20 2:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

1 h ahead of Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montego Bay New York, NY 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 323% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $7,424 in New York, NY. 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 $122 in New York, NY. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in New York, NY, 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 New York, NY at $4,950. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $4,950 in New York, NY. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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