Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,169 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,561 per month in Toronto vs $1,169 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Toronto $2,561
Montego Bay $1,169

A couple spends around $3,694 per month in Toronto vs $2,141 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Toronto $3,694
Montego Bay $2,141

A family of three spends $4,826 per month in Toronto vs $3,113 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Toronto $4,826
Montego Bay $3,113

Toronto costs about 119% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Toronto sits 90% above the global median, while Montego Bay is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$11.14 JMD 1,760

54.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

2.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$8.35 JMD 1,319

26.23%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$5.22 JMD 825

-22.99%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$0.94 JMD 149

125.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.70 JMD 110

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$2.17 JMD 343

187.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$3.06 JMD 484

131.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$3.30 JMD 522

-26.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$2.61 JMD 413

2.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.38 JMD 217

62.32%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.48 JMD 550

2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$11.24 JMD 1,775

-19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$6.13 JMD 968

84.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$9.05 JMD 1,430

60.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$4.03 JMD 637

-10.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.53 JMD 400

-52.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$7.28 JMD 1,151

-50.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$2.45 JMD 388

71.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$2.44 JMD 386

-26.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$2.66 JMD 420

-40.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.55 JMD 403

-10.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.77 JMD 121

62.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$9.16 JMD 1,447

50.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$11.14 JMD 1,760

28.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$2.80 JMD 442

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$4.05 JMD 640

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.96 JMD 152

148.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$0.93 JMD 147

212.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$3.17 JMD 501

-62.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$6.25 JMD 988

242.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.35 JMD 214

-10.37%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$44.2K JMD 7.0M

-36.21%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$32.6K JMD 5.2M

-37.94%

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

$120 CA$170

$170 JMD 26.8K

-29.00%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$22.58 JMD 3,567

42.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$47.32 JMD 7,477

1.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$44.55 JMD 7,038

-13.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$8.65 JMD 1,367

43.12%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$355 JMD 56.0K

134.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$8,218 JMD 1.3M

180.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$23.50 JMD 3,713

115.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$30.80 JMD 4,866

29.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$67.9 JMD 10.7K

44.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$102 JMD 16.1K

18.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$318 JMD 50.2K

401.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$222 JMD 35.1K

534.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$934 JMD 147.6K

185.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$934 JMD 147.6K

130.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$595 JMD 94.0K

526.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

9.45

-52.70%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Montego Bay

$222 19% 84.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Montego Bay

$323 27.7% 4.9% $17

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Montego Bay

$200 17.1% 28% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Montego Bay

$239 20.5% 19.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Montego Bay

$101 8.6% 27.5% $38

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 84.1% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Montego Bay

$62 5.3% 2.2% $1.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,592 in Toronto 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 527% higher in Toronto, 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 $76.0 in Toronto versus $74.0 in Montego Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $323 – making Montego Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

110,115

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Montego Bay 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
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

Toronto vs Montego Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 119% more than Montego Bay, 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 $3,841 per month in Toronto 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 $76.0 in Toronto 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 5% more in Toronto, 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 Toronto at $2,561. In Montego Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montego Bay – 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 Montego Bay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.