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2026 costs for Montego Bay
Montego Bay in 2026: rebuilding from Hurricane Melissa, and the resort bubble is pricier than the street
By RuinMyTrip Editorial
Montego Bay is Jamaica's second largest English-speaking city in the Caribbean after Kingston, a north coast port town of roughly 110,115 people at the last census, built almost entirely around tourism. Sandals, Hyatt, Hilton and Holiday Inn all cluster along the coast near Sangster International Airport, which in a normal year is the busiest airport in the English-speaking Caribbean, having handled 4.3 million pass…
What nearly ruins it: The honest 2026 picture starts with Hurricane Melissa. The Category 5 storm that hit October 28, 2025 tore the roof off part of the Sangster terminal, flooded the port, and left a…
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Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.
Practical tips
Editorial- Confirm your specific resort has actually reopened before booking. Sandals had only five properties back online by December 2025 after Hurricane Melissa, with three more not targeted until May 2026.
- Book excursions only with recognized, established operators. The UK FCDO's May 6, 2026 advisory update specifically added new warnings about sexual assault incidents in tourist areas.
- Skip resort-priced excursions when you can. Wikivoyage lists beach entry outside the resorts at US$3 to $5 and waterfall tours around US$15 to $20, a fraction of package add-on pricing.
- Avoid unmarked taxis. Use recognized services, hotel-arranged transport, route taxis and minibuses from the Barnett Street station, or the Montego Bay Metro city bus (roughly J$100 a ride).
- Stick to the Gloucester Avenue Hip Strip and established tourist zones. The FCDO specifically flags Flankers, Barrett Town, Glendevon, Rose Heights and Mount Salem as areas to be cautious around.
- Use your hotel room safe. The FCDO notes resorts are generally well guarded but that burglaries still occur.
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