Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ocho Rios and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Ocho Rios: $1,089 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Ocho Rios
🇯🇲 Jamaica
$1,089
/mo nomad
Rio de Janeiro
🇧🇷 Brazil
$1,289
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ocho Rios and in Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Ocho Rios $1,089
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,565 in Ocho Rios versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Ocho Rios $1,565
  • Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,040 in Ocho Rios versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

  • Ocho Rios $2,040
  • Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Ocho Rios costs roughly 15% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ocho Rios 19% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.32 JMD 1,473
$10.06 R$51.0
-7.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 JMD 10.0K
$40.44 R$205
56.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.73 JMD 1,063
$8.55 R$43.35
-21.29%
Cappuccino
$3.07 JMD 486
$2.38 R$12.04
28.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 JMD 183
$1.61 R$8.18
-27.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 JMD 107
$1.03 R$5.22
-34.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.22 JMD 350
$2.47 R$12.54
-10.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 JMD 486
$3.70 R$18.77
-16.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.94 JMD 623
$1.19 R$6.05
231.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 JMD 439
$2.05 R$10.38
35.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 JMD 255
$1.28 R$6.49
25.78%
Eggs
$3.58 JMD 566
$2.29 R$11.60
56.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 JMD 1,813
$10.76 R$54.5
6.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.19 JMD 978
$4.41 R$22.36
40.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.14 JMD 1,602
$9.84 R$49.86
3.05%
Apples (1kg)
$5.86 JMD 926
$2.81 R$14.25
108.54%
Banana (1kg)
$3.12 JMD 493
$1.78 R$9.03
75.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.42 JMD 1,015
$1.60 R$8.13
301.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.44 JMD 385
$1.80 R$9.11
35.56%
Potato (1kg)
$3.28 JMD 518
$1.22 R$6.17
168.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.54 JMD 401
$1.04 R$5.26
144.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.85 JMD 451
$0.77 R$3.92
270.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 JMD 221
$0.67 R$3.38
108.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.54 JMD 1,349
$3.01 R$15.27
183.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.25 JMD 1,462
$8.08 R$40.94
14.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 JMD 454
$1.19 R$6.03
142.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 JMD 609
$2.51 R$12.73
53.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 JMD 151
$0.99 R$5.00
-4.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$50.1 R$254
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 JMD 193
$1.22 R$6.20
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.22 JMD 509
$0.92 R$4.66
250.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.33 JMD 1,000
$8.97 R$45.45
-29.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 JMD 227
$1.30 R$6.57
10.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.7K JMD 6.9M
$23.9K R$121.0K
82.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K JMD 5.2M
$32.9K R$166.6K
0.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$169 JMD 26.7K
$133 R$676
26.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.74 JMD 3,118
$10.82 R$54.8
82.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 JMD 8,471
$22.90 R$116
134.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$30.79 R$156
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$31.85 R$161
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 JMD 1,812
$8.05 R$40.83
42.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$358 JMD 56.6K
$598 R$3,029
-40.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,091 JMD 1.3M
$13.4K R$68.0K
-39.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.39 JMD 3,696
$42.04 R$213
-44.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.00 JMD 4,897
$49.68 R$252
-37.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 JMD 12.0K
$74.5 R$378
2.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 JMD 16.4K
$68.7 R$348
50.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$378 JMD 59.7K
$903 R$4,578
-58.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 JMD 29.7K
$529 R$2,684
-64.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,326 R$6,724
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$756 R$3,831
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,010 R$20.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,560 R$7,910
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ocho Rios
Rio de Janeiro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$640 R$3,242
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.45
11.93
-20.79%

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

Last update for Ocho Rios: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ocho Rios
$353
Rio de Janeiro
$215 39.3% $139
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ocho Rios
$242
Rio de Janeiro
$167 31% $75
Accommodation & Living
Ocho Rios
$188
Rio de Janeiro
$529 181% $341
Eating Out
Ocho Rios
$156
Rio de Janeiro
$165 5.6% $8.8
Clothing & Footwear
Ocho Rios
$105
Rio de Janeiro
$106 0.3% $0.4
Sport & Entertainment
Ocho Rios
$23 *
Rio de Janeiro
$47 104% $24
Getting Around
Ocho Rios
$21 *
Rio de Janeiro
$60 183% $39

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 $378 in Ocho Rios and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $63.0 in Ocho Rios vs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇲 Ocho Rios
🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro
🕒 Local time
21:43 9:43 PM
23:43 11:43 PM
2 h ahead of Ocho Rios
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,503
6,211,223
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ocho Rios Rio de Janeiro 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ocho Rios
  • Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rio de Janeiro cheaper than Ocho Rios?
Ocho Rios is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,634 in Ocho Rios and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro 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.
What is the rent difference between Ocho Rios and Rio de Janeiro?
Rent for a central apartment: $378 in Ocho Rios versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $358 in Ocho Rios versus $598 in Rio de Janeiro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Ocho Rios or in Rio de Janeiro?
Dining out is cheaper in Ocho Rios – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ocho Rios or in Rio de Janeiro?
At $1,089 in Ocho Rios versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ocho Rios but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. The gap between the two cities makes Ocho Rios the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ocho Rios or Rio de Janeiro more family-friendly?
For families, Ocho Rios is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio de Janeiro, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Ocho Rios gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Ocho Rios vs other spots: cost of living compared

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