Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,256 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,256

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portmore and in Vancouver

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Portmore vs $2,683 in Vancouver, rent included.

Portmore $1,256
Vancouver $2,683

A couple spends around $2,080 per month in Portmore vs $3,963 in Vancouver, rent included.

Portmore $2,080
Vancouver $3,963

A family of three spends $2,904 per month in Portmore vs $5,244 in Vancouver, rent included.

Portmore $2,904
Vancouver $5,244

Portmore is about 53% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portmore sits 7% below the global median, while Vancouver is 98% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.43 JMD 1,646

$18.10 CA$25.37

-42.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.8 JMD 9,910

$71.0 CA$99.5

-11.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 JMD 1,308

$10.57 CA$14.81

-21.57%

Cappuccino

$5.37 JMD 847

$3.97 CA$5.56

35.26%

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

$0.92 JMD 145

$2.07 CA$2.90

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$1.85 CA$2.59

-64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 JMD 349

$5.67 CA$7.95

-61.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 JMD 350

$6.61 CA$9.27

-66.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.01 JMD 475

$2.16 CA$3.02

39.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 JMD 562

$2.58 CA$3.62

37.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 JMD 164

$4.30 CA$6.02

-75.81%

Eggs

$3.50 JMD 552

$4.09 CA$5.74

-14.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 JMD 1,799

$12.12 CA$16.98

-5.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 JMD 1,002

$13.28 CA$18.62

-52.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.37 JMD 1,478

$20.11 CA$28.19

-53.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.08 JMD 959

$3.96 CA$5.56

53.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.98 JMD 628

$1.43 CA$2.00

178.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 JMD 463

$3.71 CA$5.20

-21.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 JMD 474

$3.92 CA$5.50

-23.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 JMD 499

$2.87 CA$4.02

10.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 JMD 414

$2.98 CA$4.17

-12.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 JMD 252

$2.61 CA$3.66

-38.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 JMD 204

$1.63 CA$2.29

-20.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 JMD 1,525

$15.94 CA$22.35

-39.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 JMD 1,766

$14.25 CA$19.97

-21.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 JMD 434

$2.52 CA$3.54

9.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 JMD 356

$2.87 CA$4.03

-21.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 JMD 348

$2.57 CA$3.60

-14.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 JMD 8,008

$84.4 CA$118

-39.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$2.74 CA$3.85

-64.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 JMD 506

$1.63 CA$2.28

96.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$31.90 CA$44.71

-79.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 JMD 200

$1.46 CA$2.04

-13.01%

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

$44.7K JMD 7.0M

$26.7K CA$37.4K

67.25%

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

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

$21.0K CA$29.5K

57.65%

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

$157 JMD 24.8K

$88.2 CA$124

78.32%

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

$28.95 JMD 4,568

$36.72 CA$51.5

-21.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 JMD 8,284

$49.81 CA$69.8

5.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 JMD 9,539

$45.34 CA$63.6

33.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.00

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 JMD 2,048

$12.55 CA$17.59

3.43%

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

$285 JMD 44.9K

$1,055 CA$1,479

-73.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,124 JMD 492.9K

$28.5K CA$39.9K

-89.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.32 JMD 3,679

$56.4 CA$79.1

-58.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 JMD 4,992

$34.37 CA$48.18

-7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 JMD 12.2K

$89.8 CA$126

-13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 JMD 15.1K

$94.3 CA$132

1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 JMD 50.6K

$1,738 CA$2,436

-81.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 JMD 34.8K

$1,528 CA$2,143

-85.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 JMD 105.1K

$3,107 CA$4,355

-78.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 JMD 92.9K

$2,547 CA$3,570

-76.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,530 JMD 1.2M

$8,540 CA$12.0K

-11.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,830 JMD 920.0K

$6,328 CA$8,870

-7.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,288 JMD 203.2K

$3,770 CA$5,284

-65.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.24

122.88%

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

Last update for Portmore: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 26.8%

Vancouver

$398 14.9% 18.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$239 19%

Vancouver

$175 6.5% 26.8% $64

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$220 17.6%

Vancouver

$1.5K 57% 594% $1.3K

Eating Out

Portmore

$195 15.5%

Vancouver

$281 10.5% 44.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$103 8.2%

Vancouver

$124 4.6% 20.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$86 6.9%

Vancouver

$70 2.6% 18.5% $16

Getting Around

Portmore

$77 6.1%

Vancouver

$106 3.9% 37.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $321 in Portmore versus $1,738 in Vancouver. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vancouver are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Portmore versus $71 in Vancouver. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $398 – making Portmore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

2 h behind Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

631,486

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portmore Vancouver 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
Vancouver

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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 114% 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 $1,884 per month in Portmore and $4,024 in Vancouver. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $321 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Portmore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $285 per month in Portmore and $1,055 in Vancouver. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,256 in Portmore and $2,683 in Vancouver. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Portmore. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.