Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocho Rios and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ocho Rios
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,089
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,089 per month in Ocho Rios vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Ocho Rios $1,089
  • Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,565 per month in Ocho Rios vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Ocho Rios $1,565
  • Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,040 per month in Ocho Rios vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Ocho Rios $2,040
  • Montevideo $3,708

Ocho Rios is about 38% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ocho Rios sits 19% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.32 JMD 1,473
$15.16 UYU 609
-38.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 JMD 10.0K
$69.2 UYU 2,776
-8.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.73 JMD 1,063
$14.65 UYU 588
-54.06%
Cappuccino
$3.07 JMD 486
$4.46 UYU 179
-31.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 JMD 183
$2.67 UYU 107
-56.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 JMD 107
$2.00 UYU 80.4
-66.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.22 JMD 350
$4.83 UYU 194
-54.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 JMD 486
$3.80 UYU 152
-18.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.94 JMD 623
$1.36 UYU 54.8
189.71%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 JMD 439
$2.87 UYU 115
-3.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 JMD 255
$1.75 UYU 70.2
-8.00%
Eggs
$3.58 JMD 566
$4.68 UYU 188
-23.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 JMD 1,813
$13.88 UYU 557
-17.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.19 JMD 978
$11.98 UYU 481
-48.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.14 JMD 1,602
$11.97 UYU 480
-15.29%
Apples (1kg)
$5.86 JMD 926
$2.78 UYU 111
110.79%
Banana (1kg)
$3.12 JMD 493
$2.74 UYU 110
13.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.42 JMD 1,015
$1.77 UYU 71.2
262.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.44 JMD 385
$3.24 UYU 130
-24.69%
Potato (1kg)
$3.28 JMD 518
$1.97 UYU 79.2
66.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.54 JMD 401
$2.07 UYU 83.1
22.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 JMD 451
$1.37 UYU 55.1
108.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 JMD 221
$1.88 UYU 75.3
-25.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.54 JMD 1,349
$5.59 UYU 224
52.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.25 JMD 1,462
$8.78 UYU 352
5.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 JMD 454
$2.26 UYU 90.9
27.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 JMD 609
$2.75 UYU 110
40.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 JMD 151
$1.53 UYU 61.5
-37.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$74.3 UYU 2,980
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 JMD 193
$1.91 UYU 76.7
-36.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.22 JMD 509
$0.40 UYU 16.18
705.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.33 JMD 1,000
$10.33 UYU 415
-38.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 JMD 227
$2.13 UYU 85.6
-32.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.7K JMD 6.9M
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
61.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K JMD 5.2M
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
-8.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$169 JMD 26.7K
$188 UYU 7,557
-10.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.74 JMD 3,118
$20.54 UYU 824
-3.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 JMD 8,471
$44.81 UYU 1,798
19.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$54.0 UYU 2,166
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.75 UYU 793
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 JMD 1,812
$11.95 UYU 480
-4.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$358 JMD 56.6K
$634 UYU 25.5K
-43.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,091 JMD 1.3M
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
-26.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.39 JMD 3,696
$102 UYU 4,099
-77.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.00 JMD 4,897
$57.5 UYU 2,309
-46.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 JMD 12.0K
$127 UYU 5,079
-39.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 JMD 16.4K
$128 UYU 5,131
-18.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$378 JMD 59.7K
$719 UYU 28.8K
-47.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 JMD 29.7K
$568 UYU 22.8K
-66.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ocho Rios
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
5.74
64.63%

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

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ocho Rios
$353
Montevideo
$332 6.2% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ocho Rios
$242
Montevideo
$254 4.8% $12
Accommodation & Living
Ocho Rios
$188
Montevideo
$568 202% $380
Eating Out
Ocho Rios
$156
Montevideo
$269 72.3% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Ocho Rios
$105
Montevideo
$186 76.9% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Ocho Rios
$23 *
Montevideo
$78 240% $55
Getting Around
Ocho Rios
$21 *
Montevideo
$84 299% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $378 in Ocho Rios versus $719 in Montevideo. 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 $63.0 in Ocho Rios versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $353 in Ocho Rios vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇲 Ocho Rios
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
20:39 8:39 PM
22:39 10:39 PM
2 h ahead of Ocho Rios
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,503
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

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).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ocho Rios Montevideo 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ocho Rios
  • Montevideo

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
Ocho Rios vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Ocho Rios?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,634 per month in Ocho Rios and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Ocho Rios or in Montevideo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Ocho Rios and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Ocho Rios and in Montevideo?
Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ocho Rios or in Montevideo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ocho Rios, where all-in costs run around $1,089, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Ocho Rios it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Ocho Rios or Montevideo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Ocho Rios – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Ocho Rios or Montevideo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Ocho Rios. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Ocho Rios vs other spots: cost of living compared

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