Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Cruz, Jamaica

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,285 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Santa Cruz

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,285 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Santa Cruz $1,285

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $1,988 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Santa Cruz $1,988

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $2,690 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Santa Cruz $2,690

Montreal costs about 61% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 52% above the global median, while Santa Cruz is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$7.37 JMD 1,163

157.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

14.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$6.45 JMD 1,016

68.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$5.34 JMD 842

-28.65%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$1.16 JMD 182

67.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$0.75 JMD 119

110.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$2.26 JMD 357

181.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$3.08 JMD 485

135.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$4.04 JMD 638

-44.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.58 JMD 406

22.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$1.57 JMD 248

110.83%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$3.47 JMD 548

4.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$11.33 JMD 1,787

16.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$6.40 JMD 1,010

80.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$10.41 JMD 1,641

31.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$5.97 JMD 941

-44.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$3.83 JMD 604

-61.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$7.43 JMD 1,171

-54.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$3.01 JMD 474

4.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$3.32 JMD 523

-43.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.64 JMD 416

-32.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$3.01 JMD 475

-17.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.45 JMD 229

8.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$9.47 JMD 1,494

19.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$11.53 JMD 1,818

-9.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.89 JMD 456

-19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$4.01 JMD 632

-27.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$1.27 JMD 201

156.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$3.12 JMD 492

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$6.12 JMD 966

446.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.39 JMD 220

-4.32%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-36.16%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-35.19%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$166 JMD 26.2K

-51.81%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$29.57 JMD 4,664

16.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$51.8 JMD 8,165

-17.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$38.40 JMD 6,055

-18.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$13.44 JMD 2,119

-16.44%

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

$525 CA$737

$359 JMD 56.6K

46.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

101.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$23.66 JMD 3,731

145.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$31.85 JMD 5,022

19.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

19.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$101 JMD 15.9K

9.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$311 JMD 49.0K

214.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$499 JMD 78.8K

233.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$408 JMD 64.3K

635.74%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2% 68.2% $666

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9% 5.8% $20

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Santa Cruz

$168 13% 42.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3% 57.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2% 21.7% $29

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3% 83.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1% 21.8% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Montreal are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $64 in Santa Cruz. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $371 in Santa Cruz – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

8,217

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Santa Cruz 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 61% more than Santa Cruz, 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $1,928 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $64 in Santa Cruz. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Montreal at $2,064. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Santa Cruz to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Cruz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.