Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio de Janeiro and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rio de Janeiro outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio de Janeiro 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 Rio de Janeiro and in Montego Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,289 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,289
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $1,868 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $2,141 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $1,868
Montego Bay $2,141

A family of three spends $2,448 per month in Rio de Janeiro vs $3,113 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Rio de Janeiro $2,448
Montego Bay $3,113

Rio de Janeiro costs about 10% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rio de Janeiro and Montego Bay are more affordable than the global median – Rio de Janeiro 5% lower, Montego Bay 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 R$51.0

$11.14 JMD 1,760

-9.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.44 R$205

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-45.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 R$43.35

$8.35 JMD 1,319

2.40%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.22 JMD 825

-54.41%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.94 JMD 149

71.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R$5.22

$0.70 JMD 110

47.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R$12.54

$2.17 JMD 343

13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R$18.77

$3.06 JMD 484

20.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.05

$3.30 JMD 522

-63.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.38

$2.61 JMD 413

-21.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.49

$1.38 JMD 217

-7.25%

Eggs

$2.29 R$11.60

$3.48 JMD 550

-34.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 R$54.5

$11.24 JMD 1,775

-4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.36

$6.13 JMD 968

-28.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.84 R$49.86

$9.05 JMD 1,430

8.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 R$14.25

$4.03 JMD 637

-30.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.03

$2.53 JMD 400

-29.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.13

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-78.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R$9.11

$2.45 JMD 388

-26.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$2.44 JMD 386

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.26

$2.66 JMD 420

-60.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.92

$2.55 JMD 403

-69.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 R$3.38

$0.77 JMD 121

-12.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 R$15.27

$9.16 JMD 1,447

-67.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.94

$11.14 JMD 1,760

-27.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.03

$2.80 JMD 442

-57.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.73

$4.05 JMD 640

-38.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.00

$0.96 JMD 152

3.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.1 R$254

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.20

$0.93 JMD 147

31.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$3.17 JMD 501

-70.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.97 R$45.45

$6.25 JMD 988

43.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.35 JMD 214

-3.70%

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

$23.9K R$121.0K

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-45.94%

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

$32.9K R$166.6K

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

0.69%

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

$133 R$676

$170 JMD 26.8K

-21.30%

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

$10.82 R$54.8

$22.58 JMD 3,567

-52.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 R$116

$47.32 JMD 7,477

-51.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.79 R$156

$44.55 JMD 7,038

-30.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.85 R$161

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 R$40.83

$8.65 JMD 1,367

-6.94%

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

$598 R$3,029

$355 JMD 56.0K

68.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$68.0K

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

63.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 R$213

$23.50 JMD 3,713

78.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.68 R$252

$30.80 JMD 4,866

61.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 R$378

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 R$348

$102 JMD 16.1K

-32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R$4,578

$318 JMD 50.2K

184.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,684

$222 JMD 35.1K

138.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 R$6,724

$934 JMD 147.6K

41.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 R$3,831

$934 JMD 147.6K

-19.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 R$20.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,560 R$7,910

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$640 R$3,242

$595 JMD 94.0K

7.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

9.45

26.24%

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

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 58% $307

Groceries & Markets

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 50.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 43.3% $72

Eating Out

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 21.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 4.5% $4.8

Getting Around

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 65.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 31.9% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $903 in Rio de Janeiro versus $318 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 8% higher in Rio de Janeiro, 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro versus $74.0 in Montego Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $323 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

02:17 2:17 AM

2 h behind Rio de Janeiro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,211,223

110,115

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rio de Janeiro Montego Bay 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio de Janeiro
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

Rio de Janeiro vs Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rio de Janeiro costs about 10% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,933 per month in Rio de Janeiro 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro and $74.0 in Montego Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 51% cheaper in Rio de Janeiro – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Rio de Janeiro at $1,289. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rio de Janeiro it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Montego Bay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rio de Janeiro makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.