Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Harbour and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,608 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monterrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Old Harbour and in Monterrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $998 in Old Harbour versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Old Harbour $998
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,652 in Old Harbour versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Old Harbour $1,652
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,305 in Old Harbour versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Old Harbour $2,305
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Old Harbour costs roughly 38% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Old Harbour is 26% below, Monterrey is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 JMD 2,138

$13.85 MX$256

-2.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$49.70 MX$918

48.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 JMD 1,253

$11.05 MX$204

-28.24%

Cappuccino

$5.24 JMD 828

$4.09 MX$75.6

28.12%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$1.68 MX$30.97

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 JMD 115

$1.03 MX$18.98

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$2.40 MX$44.28

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$4.35 MX$80.3

-27.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.03 JMD 636

$1.92 MX$35.55

109.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$2.94 MX$54.2

28.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.88 MX$34.66

-15.43%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$2.55 MX$47.06

36.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 JMD 1,783

$11.84 MX$219

-4.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$9.36 MX$173

-31.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,628

$13.10 MX$242

-21.37%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 963

$3.38 MX$62.5

80.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$1.52 MX$28.13

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$2.19 MX$40.51

240.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$2.36 MX$43.63

29.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 519

$2.26 MX$41.76

45.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$2.73 MX$50.5

-1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 479

$1.52 MX$28.17

99.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.24 MX$22.90

16.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 JMD 1,459

$4.75 MX$87.8

94.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,803

$13.66 MX$252

-16.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$1.89 MX$34.95

48.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 JMD 633

$2.99 MX$55.2

33.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$1.68 MX$30.98

-30.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 486

$1.13 MX$20.87

171.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.13 JMD 968

$11.15 MX$206

-45.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.56 MX$28.91

-5.77%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$21.4K MX$395.8K

109.06%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$25.1K MX$463.2K

30.94%

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

$164 JMD 26.0K

$119 MX$2,206

37.60%

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

$29.43 JMD 4,650

$26.21 MX$484

12.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,374

$26.78 MX$495

97.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 JMD 2,062

$5.29 MX$97.7

146.69%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$691 MX$12.8K

-47.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

$11.5K MX$212.1K

-26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 JMD 3,710

$72.3 MX$1,335

-67.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 JMD 5,053

$42.72 MX$789

-25.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$110 MX$2,024

-30.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$117 MX$2,158

-11.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

11.79

-19.85%

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

Last update for Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Old Harbour

$383 38.4%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 18.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Harbour

$247 24.7%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 30.1% $74

Eating Out

Old Harbour

$220 22%

Monterrey

$225 14% 2.1% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Old Harbour

$106 10.6%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 44.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 59.4% $16

Getting Around

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 152% $25

Accommodation & Living

Old Harbour

- * 0%

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $74.0 in Old Harbour vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

17:31 5:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

1 h behind Old Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,024

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Old Harbour Monterrey 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Old Harbour
Monterrey

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

Old Harbour vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Old Harbour and Monterrey differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($998 vs $1,608 including rent). Old Harbour is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,497 in Old Harbour and $2,412 in Monterrey 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.

Childcare runs $361 in Old Harbour versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Old Harbour – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $50.0 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $998 in Old Harbour versus $1,608 in Monterrey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Old Harbour but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Old Harbour the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Old Harbour gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.