Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Montego Bay

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,160 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Montego Bay $2,160

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,152 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Montego Bay $3,152

Phuket costs about 9% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Montego Bay are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Montego Bay 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.11 JMD 1,755

-59.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

-57.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.33 JMD 1,316

5.76%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.38 JMD 850

-47.40%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.86 JMD 136

1.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.74 JMD 117

-33.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.23 JMD 352

14.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 JMD 507

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.25 JMD 514

-48.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.64 JMD 418

-44.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.38 JMD 218

8.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.50 JMD 553

-40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.40 JMD 1,801

67.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.35 JMD 1,004

-48.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.88 JMD 1,403

22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.28 JMD 676

-31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.56 JMD 404

-33.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.18 JMD 1,134

-68.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.56 JMD 405

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.50 JMD 395

-39.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.61 JMD 412

-47.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.50 JMD 395

-57.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.80 JMD 127

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.50 JMD 1,501

-55.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.47 JMD 1,812

63.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.89 JMD 457

-37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.93 JMD 621

-27.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.95 JMD 150

52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.91 JMD 144

231.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.17 JMD 501

-67.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.33 JMD 1,000

-41.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.39 JMD 220

5.76%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-38.99%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$33.0K JMD 5.2M

-19.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$167 JMD 26.3K

-42.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.32 JMD 3,526

-49.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$47.00 JMD 7,426

-64.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$43.62 JMD 6,892

54.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.63 JMD 1,363

-13.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$365 JMD 57.7K

30.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$8,368 JMD 1.3M

34.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$23.16 JMD 3,659

169.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.56 JMD 4,986

-9.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$68.9 JMD 10.9K

36.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$103 JMD 16.2K

-16.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$313 JMD 49.4K

129.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$220 JMD 34.8K

123.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$951 JMD 150.3K

102.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$955 JMD 150.9K

49.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$590 JMD 93.2K

-14.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Montego Bay

$220 18.8% 55.2% $271

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Montego Bay

$327 28% 22.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Montego Bay

$236 20.2% 89.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Montego Bay

$102 8.7% 16.5% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Montego Bay

$202 17.3% 66.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Montego Bay

$61 5.2% 26% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 70.9% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $313 in Montego Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Montego Bay, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $76 in Montego Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $327 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

19:01 7:01 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

110,115

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Montego Bay 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Montego Bay

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

Phuket vs Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 9% more than Montego Bay, 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 $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,753 in Montego Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montego Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $76 in Montego Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,169 in Montego Bay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montego Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.