Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Ocho Rios

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monterrey and in Ocho Rios actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,089 in Ocho Rios.

Monterrey $1,608
Ocho Rios $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $1,565 in Ocho Rios.

Monterrey $2,521
Ocho Rios $1,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $2,040 in Ocho Rios.

Monterrey $3,433
Ocho Rios $2,040

Living in Monterrey is roughly 48% more expensive than in Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 19% above, Ocho Rios is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$9.32 JMD 1,473

48.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

-21.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$6.73 JMD 1,063

64.19%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$3.07 JMD 486

33.22%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.16 JMD 183

44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$0.67 JMD 107

53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$2.22 JMD 350

8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$3.08 JMD 486

41.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$3.94 JMD 623

-51.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.78 JMD 439

5.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.61 JMD 255

16.77%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$3.58 JMD 566

-28.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$11.47 JMD 1,813

3.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$6.19 JMD 978

51.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$10.14 JMD 1,602

29.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$5.86 JMD 926

-42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$3.12 JMD 493

-51.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$6.42 JMD 1,015

-65.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$2.44 JMD 385

-3.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$3.28 JMD 518

-31.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.54 JMD 401

7.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$2.85 JMD 451

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.40 JMD 221

-11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.54 JMD 1,349

-44.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$9.25 JMD 1,462

47.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$2.88 JMD 454

-34.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.86 JMD 609

-22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.95 JMD 151

-10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$1.22 JMD 193

37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$3.22 JMD 509

-64.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$6.33 JMD 1,000

76.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.43 JMD 227

9.09%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-50.97%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-24.18%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$169 JMD 26.7K

-29.25%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$19.74 JMD 3,118

32.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$53.6 JMD 8,471

-50.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-53.88%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$358 JMD 56.6K

92.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

41.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$23.39 JMD 3,696

208.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$31.00 JMD 4,897

37.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

43.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$104 JMD 16.4K

12.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$378 JMD 59.7K

156.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$188 JMD 29.7K

252.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

9.45

24.76%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3% 71.6% $476

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4% 13.8% $43

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3% 30.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2% 40.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7% 31.4% $48

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 49.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 44.9% $19

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 $970 in Monterrey and $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $63.0 in Ocho Rios for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $353 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

21:32 9:32 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

26,503

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Ocho Rios 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Ocho Rios

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

Monterrey vs Ocho Rios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Ocho Rios differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,089 including rent). Ocho Rios is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $1,634 in Ocho Rios to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $378 in Ocho Rios. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $358 in Ocho Rios. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.