A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Montego Bay vs. Rapid City for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Montego Bay or Rapid City?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Montego Bay and Rapid City can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Montego Bay or Rapid City?

Montego Bay

As with most places around the tropical oasis of Jamaica, Montego Bay (or "MoBay") is an ideal place to visit for a Caribbean getaway. It is Jamaica's second largest city and the capital of St. James parish on the northern coast. Montego Bay is considered to be the tourist capital of the country and is where the largest airport is located, bringing in many international travelers.

Rapid City

Rapid City is a large city in western South Dakota that is considered the gateway to the Black Hills National Forest. Rapid City is often used as a base for all types of outdoor activities, including tours to the infamous Mount Rushmore and surrounding parks. The city has a budding art scene and offers the perfect combination of a metropolitan city surrounded by stunning natural scenery. Rapid City experiences the best weather from June-September with temperatures in the 70's and 80's Fahrenheit. Temperatures drop to the low 20's F in the winter and the area receives the most rain pour in April and May.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to United States of America, and The Best Tours for Seniors to United States of America.


Which place is cheaper, Rapid City or Montego Bay?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Montego Bay Prices
    Jamaica Prices
    Rapid City Prices
    USA Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Montego Bay $255
    Rapid City $133

The average daily cost (per person) in Montego Bay is $255, while the average daily cost in Rapid City is $133. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Montego Bay and Rapid City in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Montego Bay $100
    Rapid City $60
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Montego Bay $200
    Rapid City $120
Compare Hotels in Montego Bay and Rapid City

Looking for a hotel in Montego Bay or Rapid City? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Montego Bay


Hotels in Rapid City


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Montego Bay Hotel Prices and Rapid City Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Montego Bay $14
    Rapid City $53

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Montego Bay

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Montego Bay:

  • Zoetry Montego Bay Airport Transfers MBJ (Private Roundtrip Exclusive): $180
  • VIP Airport Transfer to Hotel in Montego Bay: $30
  • Tropical Court Hotel Private Airport Transfer : $13
  • Transfer Service, Sangster MBJ Airport From/To Runaway Bay: $163
  • Transfer Service, Sangster MBJ Airport From/To Iberostar zone: $61
  • Tobys Resort Private Airport Transfer: $20
  • The Spa Retreat Boutique Hotel Private Airport Transfer: $50
  • Sunset at the Palms Negril Airport Transfers: $78
  • Sunset at the Palm Private Negril Airport Transfer : $52
  • Silver Sands Hotel Private Airport Transfer: $53
  • Shared Transfer: From/to Montego Bay International Airport: $9.26
  • Shared Round-Trip Transfer: Montego Bay International Airport: $19

Is it cheaper to fly into Montego Bay or Rapid City?

Prices for flights to both Rapid City and Montego Bay change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Montego Bay $139
    Rapid City $41

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Montego Bay

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Montego Bay.

  • Montego Bay Jerk Tour and Rum Punch Mixology/Food Tour : $40
  • Lunch or Dinner Dining Experience in Montego Bay : $40
  • Street Food Tour in Montego Bay: $59
  • 3 to 5 Hour Private Herbal Tour Shopping and Dinner at Ricks Cafe: $120
  • Bar Hopping and Local Food Tour in Jamaica : $130
  • Dinner or lunch at pier one Montego bay Food Tour: $144
  • Cooking Class in Montego Bay with Home Chef: $150
  • Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios Dinner and Nightlife Experience: $150
  • Sunset Boat Cruise and Luminous Lagoon with Dinner and Transfer : $150
  • Private Beach Day and Street Food Tour from Montego Bay: $170
  • Dinner Experience and Celebration on the Beach with Decorations : $175
  • PRIVATE Food Tour of Local Jamaican Cuisine Montego Bay & Negril: $190

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rapid City

For Rapid City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Roller Coaster Tickets with Dinner and Show in Rapid City: $81

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Montego Bay $31
    Rapid City $26
Typical Entertainment Prices in Montego Bay

Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Montego Bay are as follows:


  • Admission to Doctor's Cave Beach
    $2.63
  • Snorkeling Trip
    $18
  • One Tank Dive
    $37
  • 1.5 Hr Horseback Ride
    $42

Tours and Activities in Montego Bay

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Montego Bay are as follows:

  • 2 Days Of Blue Hole, Dunns River Falls & Hidden Beauty Adventure: $180
  • ATV Adventure to Seven Mile Beach and Ricks Cafe: $220
  • Bioluminescence Lagoon Tour from Montego Bay with Pick Up: $105
  • Black River Day Adventure Tour: $92
  • Bob Marley Nine Mile and Dunn's River Falls Tour From Montego Bay : $300
  • Dirt Adventure ATV from Montego Bay: $160
  • Dunn’s River Secret falls with Horse-back&Bamboo Raft Experience: $125
  • Falmouth Mystic from Montego Bay Luminous Lagoon Night Tour: $90
  • Falmouth to Bob Marley Nine Miles and Dunns River Falls Tour : $250
  • Floyds Pelican Bar Private Tour : $155
  • Green Grotto Cave Private Tour: $115
  • Horseback Riding and Tour from Montego Bay : $230

Tours and Activities in Rapid City

For Rapid City, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Mount Rushmore Self-Guided Audio Tour Guide : $15
  • Mount Rushmore Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour: $15
  • Black Hills Self Guided Driving Audio Tour: $20
  • Mount Rushmore Theodore Roosevelt and Badlands Self-Guided Tour: $33
  • Pinnacle Zipline Tour in Keystone: $125
  • Guided Tour with Journey Museum Admission: $148
  • Rapid City Shared Tour: $148
  • From Mt. Rushmore Memorial Tour: $148
  • Mount Rushmore Memorial Shared Tour from Rapid City, South Dakota: $148
  • Black Hills Tour with Monument Tour: $179
  • From Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup Tour: $185
  • Mt Rushmore Night Ceremony and Tour - with Tunnels and Stargazing: $189

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Montego Bay $13
    Rapid City $6.93

Sample the Local Flavors in Montego Bay

Also in Montego Bay, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Montego Bay Jamaica Rum Distillery Tour Private Driver: $231
  • Montego Bay Pub Crawl To Negril and Rick's Cafe: $255


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Montego Bay and Rapid City, we can see that Montego Bay is more expensive. And not only is Rapid City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Montego Bay is in Caribbean Islands and Rapid City is in North America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Rapid City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Rapid City and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Montego Bay would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Montego Bay than you might in Rapid City.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Montego Bay Expensive? and Is Rapid City Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Montego Bay or Rapid City?

Montego Bay has a larger population, and is about 34% larger than the population of Rapid City. When comparing the sizes of Montego Bay and Rapid City, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.