Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Montego Bay

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.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Montreal $2,018
Montego Bay $1,169

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

Montreal $3,085
Montego Bay $2,141

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

Montreal $4,152
Montego Bay $3,113

Montreal costs about 73% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$11.14 JMD 1,760

68.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-5.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$8.35 JMD 1,319

27.66%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.22 JMD 825

-26.44%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$0.94 JMD 149

104.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.70 JMD 110

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.17 JMD 343

187.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.06 JMD 484

132.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$3.30 JMD 522

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.61 JMD 413

20.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.38 JMD 217

132.61%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.48 JMD 550

1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$11.24 JMD 1,775

13.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$6.13 JMD 968

86.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.05 JMD 1,430

47.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.03 JMD 637

-22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.53 JMD 400

-43.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-52.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.45 JMD 388

25.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.44 JMD 386

-22.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.66 JMD 420

-33.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.55 JMD 403

-8.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.77 JMD 121

101.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$9.16 JMD 1,447

24.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.14 JMD 1,760

-4.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.80 JMD 442

-18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.05 JMD 640

-30.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.96 JMD 152

177.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$0.93 JMD 147

244.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$3.17 JMD 501

-53.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$6.25 JMD 988

426.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.35 JMD 214

-0.74%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-36.26%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

-39.86%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$170 JMD 26.8K

-55.19%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$22.58 JMD 3,567

50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$47.32 JMD 7,477

-10.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$44.55 JMD 7,038

-33.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$8.65 JMD 1,367

28.90%

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

$507 CA$717

$355 JMD 56.0K

43.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

95.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$23.50 JMD 3,713

144.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$30.80 JMD 4,866

22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

35.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$102 JMD 16.1K

7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$318 JMD 50.2K

296.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$222 JMD 35.1K

326.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$934 JMD 147.6K

128.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$934 JMD 147.6K

72.70%

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)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$595 JMD 94.0K

375.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

9.45

-52.59%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 76.5% $725

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 6.7% $23

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 30.4% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 57.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 24.4% $33

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 79.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 18.8% $9.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $318 in Montego Bay. 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $74.0 in Montego Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $323 in Montego Bay – so Montego Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

110,115

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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

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Montreal
Montego Bay

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

Montreal vs Montego Bay: 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,753 in Montego Bay. 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 $70.0 in Montreal and $74.0 in Montego Bay. 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.