Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ocho Rios

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Ocho Rios
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Ocho Rios Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Ocho Rios

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,089 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Ocho Rios $1,089

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,565 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Ocho Rios $1,565

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,040 in Ocho Rios, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Ocho Rios $2,040

Montreal costs about 85% more than Ocho Rios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Ocho Rios is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$9.32 JMD 1,473

101.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$63.4 JMD 10.0K

10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$6.73 JMD 1,063

58.40%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.07 JMD 486

25.08%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.16 JMD 183

65.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.67 JMD 107

129.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.22 JMD 350

180.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.08 JMD 486

130.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$3.94 JMD 623

-41.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.78 JMD 439

12.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.61 JMD 255

99.38%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.58 JMD 566

-1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$11.47 JMD 1,813

11.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$6.19 JMD 978

85.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.14 JMD 1,602

32.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.86 JMD 926

-46.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$3.12 JMD 493

-53.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$6.42 JMD 1,015

-45.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.44 JMD 385

25.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.28 JMD 518

-42.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.54 JMD 401

-30.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.85 JMD 451

-17.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.40 JMD 221

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$8.54 JMD 1,349

33.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$9.25 JMD 1,462

14.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.88 JMD 454

-21.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.86 JMD 609

-26.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.95 JMD 151

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.22 JMD 193

162.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$3.22 JMD 509

-54.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$6.33 JMD 1,000

419.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.43 JMD 227

-6.29%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-35.56%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-40.62%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$169 JMD 26.7K

-54.98%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$19.74 JMD 3,118

71.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$53.6 JMD 8,471

-21.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$11.47 JMD 1,812

-2.79%

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

$507 CA$717

$358 JMD 56.6K

41.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$8,091 JMD 1.3M

98.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$23.39 JMD 3,696

146.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$31.00 JMD 4,897

21.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

20.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$104 JMD 16.4K

5.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$378 JMD 59.7K

233.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$188 JMD 29.7K

403.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

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

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 Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Ocho Rios

$188 17.3% 80.1% $759

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Ocho Rios

$353 32.4% 2% $6.9

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Ocho Rios

$156 14.3% 45.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Ocho Rios

$242 22.2% 59% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Ocho Rios

$105 9.7% 21.1% $28

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Ocho Rios

$21 * 1.9% 78.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Ocho Rios

$23 * 2.1% 55.9% $29

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 $378 in Ocho Rios. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $63.0 in Ocho Rios. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $353 in Ocho Rios – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇯🇲 Ocho Rios

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

26,503

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Ocho Rios 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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

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

Montreal costs about 85% more than Ocho Rios, 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 $1,634 in Ocho Rios. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ocho Rios, 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 $63.0 in Ocho Rios. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ocho Rios, where all-in costs run around $1,089, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Ocho Rios it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ocho Rios costs $1,089 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 Ocho Rios. 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.