Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $3,800 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $31,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

185

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,800

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,800 per month in Seattle, WA vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,800
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $5,702 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,141 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,702
Montego Bay $2,141

A family of three spends $7,603 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,113 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,603
Montego Bay $3,113

Seattle, WA costs about 225% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seattle, WA sits 182% above the global median, while Montego Bay is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.32 $25.32

$11.14 JMD 1,760

127.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

37.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.85 $14.85

$8.35 JMD 1,319

77.84%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$5.22 JMD 825

26.25%

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

$3.22 $3.22

$0.94 JMD 149

242.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.70 JMD 110

348.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.17 JMD 343

276.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.06 JMD 484

162.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$3.30 JMD 522

-63.33%

White Bread (500g)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.61 JMD 413

96.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.30 $6.30

$1.38 JMD 217

356.52%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$3.48 JMD 550

40.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 $19.10

$11.24 JMD 1,775

69.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.50 $18.50

$6.13 JMD 968

201.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.03 $23.03

$9.05 JMD 1,430

154.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.03 JMD 637

44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.53 JMD 400

-22.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-27.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.45 JMD 388

164.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.44 JMD 386

46.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.66 JMD 420

18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.55 JMD 403

11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.77 JMD 121

214.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 $12.75

$9.16 JMD 1,447

39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$11.14 JMD 1,760

34.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.80 JMD 442

48.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 $5.99

$4.05 JMD 640

47.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.96 JMD 152

216.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.93 JMD 147

174.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$3.17 JMD 501

-48.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$6.25 JMD 988

373.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.35 JMD 214

5.19%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-19.06%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

-21.69%

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

$299 $299

$170 JMD 26.8K

76.41%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$22.58 JMD 3,567

213.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.3 $88.3

$47.32 JMD 7,477

86.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.5 $79.5

$44.55 JMD 7,038

78.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.37 $35.37

Cinema Ticket

$17.12 $17.12

$8.65 JMD 1,367

97.92%

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

$3,013 $3,013

$355 JMD 56.0K

749.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

284.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 $77.2

$23.50 JMD 3,713

228.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 $55.1

$30.80 JMD 4,866

78.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

85.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 $163

$102 JMD 16.1K

59.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 $2,464

$318 JMD 50.2K

675.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 $1,956

$222 JMD 35.1K

779.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,711 $4,711

$934 JMD 147.6K

404.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,550 $3,550

$934 JMD 147.6K

279.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,346 $7,346

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,048 $5,048

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,286 $6,286

$595 JMD 94.0K

957.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

9.45

-27.51%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.5%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 88.6% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$542 14.3%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 40.3% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$458 12.1%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 47.7% $219

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$409 10.8%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 51% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 46.7% $88

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$133 3.5%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 84.5% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$114 3%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 45.6% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,464 in Seattle, WA 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 957% higher in Seattle, WA, 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 $101 in Seattle, WA versus $74.0 in Montego Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $542 vs $323 – making Montego Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

03:01 3:01 AM

2 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

110,115

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

JMD to USD in detail →

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Seattle, WA Montego Bay 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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

Seattle, WA vs Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA costs about 225% 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 $5,701 per month in Seattle, WA 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 $101 in Seattle, WA and $74.0 in Montego Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Seattle, WA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Montego Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,169, than in Seattle, WA at $3,800. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montego Bay costs $1,169 versus $3,800 in Seattle, WA. 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, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.