Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Jamaica and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,285 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,285

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,285
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,988
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $2,690 per month in Santa Cruz vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,690
Montreal $4,247

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

Santa Cruz sits 6% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 JMD 1,163

$18.98 CA$26.64

-61.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 JMD 10.0K

$73.0 CA$102

-12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 JMD 1,016

$10.88 CA$15.27

-40.72%

Cappuccino

$5.34 JMD 842

$3.81 CA$5.35

40.16%

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

$1.16 JMD 182

$1.94 CA$2.72

-40.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 JMD 119

$1.58 CA$2.22

-52.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 JMD 357

$6.37 CA$8.94

-64.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 485

$7.26 CA$10.20

-57.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.04 JMD 638

$2.23 CA$3.13

81.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 JMD 406

$3.17 CA$4.45

-18.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JMD 248

$3.31 CA$4.64

-52.57%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$3.63 CA$5.09

-4.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 JMD 1,787

$13.16 CA$18.47

-13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 JMD 1,010

$11.56 CA$16.22

-44.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.41 JMD 1,641

$13.71 CA$19.25

-24.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.97 JMD 941

$3.29 CA$4.62

81.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.83 JMD 604

$1.46 CA$2.05

162.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.43 JMD 1,171

$3.37 CA$4.73

120.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 474

$3.15 CA$4.42

-4.44%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 JMD 523

$1.89 CA$2.65

75.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$1.79 CA$2.52

47.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$2.47 CA$3.47

21.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.58 CA$2.22

-8.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 JMD 1,494

$11.28 CA$15.84

-16.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 JMD 1,818

$10.49 CA$14.73

9.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 JMD 456

$2.34 CA$3.28

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 JMD 632

$2.91 CA$4.09

37.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 JMD 201

$3.26 CA$4.57

-61.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.12 JMD 492

$1.44 CA$2.02

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 JMD 966

$33.43 CA$46.92

-81.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 JMD 220

$1.33 CA$1.87

4.51%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$28.6K CA$40.2K

56.64%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$21.1K CA$29.6K

54.29%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$80.1 CA$112

107.53%

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

$29.57 JMD 4,664

$34.30 CA$48.14

-13.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,165

$42.85 CA$60.1

20.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.40 JMD 6,055

$31.14 CA$43.71

23.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 JMD 2,119

$11.23 CA$15.76

19.68%

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

$359 JMD 56.6K

$525 CA$737

-31.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,104 JMD 1.3M

$16.3K CA$22.9K

-50.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.66 JMD 3,731

$58.0 CA$81.4

-59.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.85 JMD 5,022

$38.11 CA$53.5

-16.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 JMD 12.3K

$93.4 CA$131

-16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 JMD 15.9K

$110 CA$155

-8.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 JMD 49.0K

$977 CA$1,371

-68.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 JMD 78.8K

$1,665 CA$2,336

-70.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 JMD 64.3K

$3,002 CA$4,213

-86.41%

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 Santa Cruz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$371 28.9%

Montreal

$351 17% 5.5% $20

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$311 24.2%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 214% $666

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$248 19.3%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 36.5% $90

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$168 13%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 73.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$106 8.2%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 27.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$65 5.1%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 17.9% $12

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$17 * 1.3%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 492% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Montreal are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Santa Cruz versus $73 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Santa Cruz vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Santa Cruz

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,217

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 61% more than Santa Cruz, 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 $1,928 per month in Santa Cruz and $3,096 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 $64 in Santa Cruz and $73 in Montreal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Montreal at $2,064. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Santa Cruz to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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