Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portmore 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 Portmore and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Portmore vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Portmore $1,246
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Portmore vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Portmore $2,073
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Portmore vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Portmore $2,900
Montreal $4,152

Portmore is about 38% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portmore sits 8% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$18.82 CA$26.61

-46.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-9.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$10.66 CA$15.06

-24.58%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$3.84 CA$5.43

41.41%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.92 CA$2.71

-53.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$1.54 CA$2.18

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$6.23 CA$8.81

-65.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$7.10 CA$10.03

-69.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$2.31 CA$3.27

30.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$3.14 CA$4.44

11.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$3.21 CA$4.54

-68.22%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$3.52 CA$4.97

2.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$12.81 CA$18.11

-10.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$11.46 CA$16.20

-45.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$13.39 CA$18.92

-29.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$3.14 CA$4.43

90.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$1.44 CA$2.03

172.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$3.47 CA$4.91

-14.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$3.07 CA$4.34

-1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$1.90 CA$2.69

73.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$1.77 CA$2.50

46.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$2.34 CA$3.31

-32.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$1.55 CA$2.19

-18.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$11.38 CA$16.09

-15.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$10.63 CA$15.03

5.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$2.27 CA$3.21

23.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$2.82 CA$3.99

-19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$2.66 CA$3.76

-13.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$77.3 CA$109

-35.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$3.20 CA$4.53

-70.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$1.48 CA$2.09

108.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$32.88 CA$46.48

-81.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.34 CA$1.90

-11.94%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

53.05%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

64.64%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$76.0 CA$107

103.82%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$33.95 CA$48.00

-14.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$42.31 CA$59.8

24.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$29.76 CA$42.07

102.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$11.15 CA$15.77

20.00%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$507 CA$717

-43.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-80.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$57.6 CA$81.4

-59.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$37.58 CA$53.1

-17.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$91.9 CA$130

-14.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$110 CA$155

-13.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-75.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$948 CA$1,340

-77.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-69.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-63.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$4,960 CA$7,011

50.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$3,838 CA$5,425

48.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$2,827 CA$3,997

-53.99%

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 Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 3.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 35.6% $84

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 339% $732

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 49.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 30.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 40.1% $35

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 30% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Portmore versus $1,260 in Montreal. 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 117% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Portmore versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $346 – making Portmore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

1 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Portmore
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

Portmore vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 62% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Portmore and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portmore, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Portmore and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Portmore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Portmore costs $1,246 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 Portmore. 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.