Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Harbour and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $998 per month in Old Harbour vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Old Harbour $998
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Old Harbour vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Old Harbour $1,652
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Old Harbour vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Old Harbour $2,305
Montreal $4,152

Old Harbour is about 51% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Old Harbour sits 26% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 JMD 2,138

$18.82 CA$26.61

-28.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$70.3 CA$99.4

5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 JMD 1,253

$10.66 CA$15.06

-25.61%

Cappuccino

$5.24 JMD 828

$3.84 CA$5.43

36.46%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$1.92 CA$2.71

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 JMD 115

$1.54 CA$2.18

-52.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$6.23 CA$8.81

-65.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$7.10 CA$10.03

-55.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.03 JMD 636

$2.31 CA$3.27

74.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$3.14 CA$4.44

20.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$3.21 CA$4.54

-50.47%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$3.52 CA$4.97

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 JMD 1,783

$12.81 CA$18.11

-11.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$11.46 CA$16.20

-44.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,628

$13.39 CA$18.92

-23.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 963

$3.14 CA$4.43

93.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$1.44 CA$2.03

163.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$3.47 CA$4.91

114.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$3.07 CA$4.34

-0.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 519

$1.90 CA$2.69

72.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$1.77 CA$2.50

52.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 479

$2.34 CA$3.31

29.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.55 CA$2.19

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 JMD 1,459

$11.38 CA$16.09

-18.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,803

$10.63 CA$15.03

7.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.27 CA$3.21

23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 JMD 633

$2.82 CA$3.99

41.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$3.20 CA$4.53

-63.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 486

$1.48 CA$2.09

107.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.13 JMD 968

$32.88 CA$46.48

-81.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.34 CA$1.90

9.70%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

59.06%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

67.20%

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

$164 JMD 26.0K

$76.0 CA$107

116.27%

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

$29.43 JMD 4,650

$33.95 CA$48.00

-13.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,374

$42.31 CA$59.8

25.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 JMD 2,062

$11.15 CA$15.77

17.04%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$507 CA$717

-28.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-47.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 JMD 3,710

$57.6 CA$81.4

-59.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 JMD 5,053

$37.58 CA$53.1

-14.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$91.9 CA$130

-17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$110 CA$155

-5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

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 %)

9.45

4.48

110.94%

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

Last update for Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Old Harbour

$383 38.4%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 9.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Harbour

$247 24.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 38.3% $95

Eating Out

Old Harbour

$220 22%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 30.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Old Harbour

$106 10.6%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 25.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 99.4% $26

Getting Around

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 496% $82

Accommodation & Living

Old Harbour

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

1 h ahead of Old Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,024

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

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).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Old Harbour Montreal 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Old Harbour
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 102% more than Old Harbour, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,497 per month in Old Harbour and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Old Harbour, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Old Harbour it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Old Harbour costs $998 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 Old Harbour. 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.