Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $994 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$994

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $994 per month in Spanish Town vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Spanish Town $994
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Spanish Town vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Spanish Town $1,895
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,796 per month in Spanish Town vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Spanish Town $2,796
Montreal $4,152

Spanish Town is about 51% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Spanish Town sits 26% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 JMD 2,094

$18.82 CA$26.61

-29.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$70.3 CA$99.4

5.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 JMD 1,265

$10.66 CA$15.06

-24.86%

Cappuccino

$5.31 JMD 840

$3.84 CA$5.43

38.28%

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

$1.14 JMD 179

$1.92 CA$2.71

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$1.54 CA$2.18

-51.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 JMD 355

$6.23 CA$8.81

-63.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 483

$7.10 CA$10.03

-56.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.14 JMD 655

$2.31 CA$3.27

79.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 JMD 594

$3.14 CA$4.44

19.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 JMD 260

$3.21 CA$4.54

-48.60%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 562

$3.52 CA$4.97

1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 JMD 1,773

$12.81 CA$18.11

-12.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$11.46 CA$16.20

-44.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 JMD 1,614

$13.39 CA$18.92

-23.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.16 JMD 973

$3.14 CA$4.43

96.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.85 JMD 609

$1.44 CA$2.03

167.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.38 JMD 1,166

$3.47 CA$4.91

112.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 483

$3.07 CA$4.34

-0.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 JMD 500

$1.90 CA$2.69

66.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 JMD 336

$1.77 CA$2.50

20.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.09 JMD 489

$2.34 CA$3.31

32.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 228

$1.55 CA$2.19

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.46 JMD 1,494

$11.38 CA$16.09

-16.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 JMD 1,769

$10.63 CA$15.03

5.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$2.27 CA$3.21

22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 JMD 624

$2.82 CA$3.99

40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 183

$3.20 CA$4.53

-63.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 JMD 483

$1.48 CA$2.09

106.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 981

$32.88 CA$46.48

-81.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 231

$1.34 CA$1.90

8.96%

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

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

55.99%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

64.04%

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

$165 JMD 26.1K

$76.0 CA$107

117.75%

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

$29.30 JMD 4,629

$33.95 CA$48.00

-13.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,179

$42.31 CA$59.8

22.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 JMD 2,047

$11.15 CA$15.77

16.14%

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

$356 JMD 56.3K

$507 CA$717

-29.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,212 JMD 1.3M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-48.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.80 JMD 3,760

$57.6 CA$81.4

-58.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 JMD 4,918

$37.58 CA$53.1

-17.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 JMD 12.1K

$91.9 CA$130

-17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 JMD 15.9K

$110 CA$155

-8.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 JMD 100.0K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-70.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 JMD 78.9K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-69.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 JMD 182.5K

$2,827 CA$3,997

-59.15%

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 Spanish Town: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Spanish Town

$382 38.5%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 9.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$246 24.8%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 38.2% $94

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$219 22%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 31.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$104 10.5%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 28.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$26 * 2.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 101% $26

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$16 * 1.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 500% $82

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 145% 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 $74.0 in Spanish Town versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

02:08 2:08 AM

1 h ahead of Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

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

Spanish Town Montreal 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 103% more than Spanish Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,491 per month in Spanish Town and $3,027 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 $74.0 in Spanish Town and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Montreal – 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 Spanish Town, where all-in costs run around $994, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Spanish Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Spanish Town costs $994 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 Spanish Town. 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.