Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vancouver and Montego Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montego Bay: $1,172 a month against $2,683 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Montego Bay
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Montego Bay Living Index

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Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,683

/mo nomad

Montego Bay

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,683 per month in Vancouver vs $1,172 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Vancouver $2,683
Montego Bay $1,172

A couple spends around $3,963 per month in Vancouver vs $2,155 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Vancouver $3,963
Montego Bay $2,155

A family of three spends $5,244 per month in Vancouver vs $3,137 in Montego Bay, rent included.

Vancouver $5,244
Montego Bay $3,137

Vancouver costs about 129% more than Montego Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Vancouver sits 98% above the global median, while Montego Bay is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.10 CA$25.45

$11.22 JMD 1,770

61.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.8

$77.1 JMD 12.2K

-7.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 CA$14.86

$8.03 JMD 1,268

31.63%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.58

$5.47 JMD 862

-27.42%

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

$2.07 CA$2.91

$0.87 JMD 137

137.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 CA$2.60

$0.58 JMD 92.3

218.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 CA$7.97

$2.15 JMD 339

163.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 CA$9.30

$3.09 JMD 488

113.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$3.34 JMD 527

-35.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 CA$3.63

$2.71 JMD 428

-4.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 CA$6.04

$1.43 JMD 225

200.70%

Eggs

$4.09 CA$5.76

$3.47 JMD 548

17.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 CA$17.04

$11.24 JMD 1,774

7.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 CA$18.68

$6.13 JMD 967

116.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 CA$28.28

$9.08 JMD 1,433

121.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.58

$4.05 JMD 639

-2.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.01

$2.57 JMD 406

-44.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.21

$7.45 JMD 1,176

-50.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 CA$5.52

$2.47 JMD 390

58.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 CA$4.03

$2.50 JMD 394

14.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.19

$2.62 JMD 413

13.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$2.57 JMD 405

1.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.30

$0.77 JMD 121

111.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.94 CA$22.42

$9.66 JMD 1,525

65.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.04

$11.54 JMD 1,821

23.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.55

$2.84 JMD 448

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 CA$4.04

$3.96 JMD 624

-27.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$0.97 JMD 152

164.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.4 CA$119

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.86

$0.92 JMD 145

197.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$3.19 JMD 503

-48.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.90 CA$44.86

$6.12 JMD 966

421.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.40 JMD 222

4.29%

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

$26.7K CA$37.6K

$44.4K JMD 7.0M

-39.85%

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

$21.0K CA$29.6K

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

-35.96%

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

$88.2 CA$124

$169 JMD 26.7K

-47.89%

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

$36.72 CA$51.6

$22.38 JMD 3,531

64.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 CA$70.1

$48.50 JMD 7,653

2.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.34 CA$63.8

$43.68 JMD 6,892

3.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.13 CA$17.06

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 CA$17.65

$8.75 JMD 1,380

43.43%

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

$1,055 CA$1,484

$356 JMD 56.2K

196.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$17.7K JMD 2.8M

60.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 CA$79.3

$23.83 JMD 3,760

136.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.37 CA$48.34

$31.35 JMD 4,947

9.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$70.1 JMD 11.1K

28.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 CA$133

$102 JMD 16.2K

-7.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,738 CA$2,444

$312 JMD 49.2K

457.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 CA$2,150

$218 JMD 34.5K

599.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,107 CA$4,369

$956 JMD 150.8K

225.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 CA$3,582

$928 JMD 146.5K

174.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,540 CA$12.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,328 CA$8,899

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,770 CA$5,302

$598 JMD 94.3K

530.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.24

9.45

-55.13%

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

Last update for Vancouver: November 2, 2026

Last update for Montego Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vancouver

$1.5K 57%

Montego Bay

$218 18.6% 85.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Vancouver

$398 14.9%

Montego Bay

$327 27.9% 17.9% $71

Eating Out

Vancouver

$281 10.5%

Montego Bay

$202 17.3% 28.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vancouver

$175 6.5%

Montego Bay

$240 20.5% 37.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Vancouver

$124 4.6%

Montego Bay

$102 8.7% 17.2% $21

Getting Around

Vancouver

$106 3.9%

Montego Bay

$21 * 1.8% 80.4% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Vancouver

$70 2.6%

Montego Bay

$61 5.2% 13.2% $9.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,738 in Vancouver versus $312 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 in Vancouver are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Vancouver versus $77 in Montego Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $398 in Vancouver vs $327 in Montego Bay – so Montego Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🇯🇲 Montego Bay

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

2 h ahead of Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,486

110,115

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Vancouver Montego Bay 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Vancouver
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

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

Vancouver costs about 129% 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 $4,024 per month in Vancouver and $1,758 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $312 there versus $1,738 in Vancouver.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Vancouver and $77 in Montego Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,683 in Vancouver and $1,172 in Montego Bay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.