Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montego Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,169 per month in Montego Bay vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Montego Bay $1,169
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Montego Bay vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Montego Bay $2,160
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Montego Bay vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Montego Bay $3,152
Phuket $3,154

Montego Bay is about 9% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montego Bay and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Montego Bay 14% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 JMD 1,755

$4.47 ฿151

148.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$32.41 ฿1,093

134.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 JMD 1,316

$8.81 ฿297

-5.45%

Cappuccino

$5.38 JMD 850

$2.83 ฿95.4

90.11%

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

$0.86 JMD 136

$0.87 ฿29.41

-1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.49 ฿16.65

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 JMD 352

$2.56 ฿86.3

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 JMD 507

$3.68 ฿124

-12.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.25 JMD 514

$1.66 ฿55.9

95.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 JMD 418

$1.46 ฿49.31

80.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 JMD 218

$1.50 ฿50.5

-8.00%

Eggs

$3.50 JMD 553

$2.09 ฿70.5

67.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 JMD 1,801

$19.07 ฿643

-40.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 JMD 1,004

$3.30 ฿111

92.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 JMD 1,403

$10.91 ฿368

-18.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 JMD 676

$2.93 ฿98.9

46.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 JMD 404

$1.69 ฿57.0

51.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.18 JMD 1,134

$2.25 ฿75.8

219.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 JMD 405

$2.08 ฿70.0

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 JMD 395

$1.51 ฿51.0

65.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 JMD 412

$1.38 ฿46.52

89.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 JMD 395

$1.07 ฿35.96

133.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 JMD 127

$0.52 ฿17.51

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 JMD 1,501

$4.20 ฿142

126.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 JMD 1,812

$18.79 ฿634

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 JMD 457

$1.82 ฿61.5

58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 JMD 621

$2.84 ฿95.8

38.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 JMD 150

$1.45 ฿48.98

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.91 JMD 144

$3.02 ฿102

-69.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 JMD 501

$1.02 ฿34.33

210.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 JMD 1,000

$3.69 ฿125

71.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.47 ฿49.76

-5.44%

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

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

63.91%

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

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

23.57%

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

$167 JMD 26.3K

$96.4 ฿3,251

72.99%

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

$22.32 JMD 3,526

$11.26 ฿380

98.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.00 JMD 7,426

$16.85 ฿568

178.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.62 JMD 6,892

$67.2 ฿2,268

-35.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.63 JMD 1,363

$7.50 ฿253

15.07%

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

$365 JMD 57.7K

$476 ฿16.1K

-23.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,368 JMD 1.3M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-25.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.16 JMD 3,659

$62.4 ฿2,104

-62.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.56 JMD 4,986

$28.41 ฿958

11.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 JMD 10.9K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-26.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 JMD 16.2K

$85.8 ฿2,895

19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 JMD 49.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-56.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 JMD 34.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

-55.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 JMD 150.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-50.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 JMD 150.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-33.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 JMD 93.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

17.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Montego Bay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Montego Bay

$327 28%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 18.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montego Bay

$236 20.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 47.3% $112

Accommodation & Living

Montego Bay

$220 18.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 123% $271

Eating Out

Montego Bay

$202 17.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 39.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Montego Bay

$102 8.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Montego Bay

$61 5.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 35.1% $21

Getting Around

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 243% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Montego Bay versus $716 in Phuket. 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 17% higher in Montego Bay, 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 $76 in Montego Bay versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

06:10 6:10 AM

12 h ahead of Montego Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,115

79,308

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montego Bay Phuket 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Montego Bay
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 9% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,917 in Phuket. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Montego Bay and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,169 in Montego Bay and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.