Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aruba and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aruba and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Aruba $2,376
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Aruba $4,248
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Aruba $6,119
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Aruba is roughly 31% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$15.26 UYU 613

-4.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$67.4 UYU 2,711

34.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$14.37 UYU 578

-26.10%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$4.64 UYU 187

11.85%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$2.73 UYU 110

-13.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$2.09 UYU 84.0

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$4.75 UYU 191

10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$3.67 UYU 147

86.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.38 UYU 55.5

21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$2.77 UYU 112

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$1.69 UYU 67.8

79.88%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$4.52 UYU 182

-15.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$14.17 UYU 570

-1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$12.07 UYU 485

-65.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$2.75 UYU 110

-28.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$1.52 UYU 61.3

63.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$2.22 UYU 89.2

7.21%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

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

$233 AWG 418

$191 UYU 7,674

22.27%

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

$133 AWG 239

$20.40 UYU 820

554.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$44.14 UYU 1,775

96.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

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

$302 AWG 541

$613 UYU 24.7K

-50.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

61.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$56.1 UYU 2,255

15.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$124 UYU 5,000

-4.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$705 UYU 28.4K

-7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$575 UYU 23.1K

146.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

185.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

297.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

53.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 59.4% $844

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 43.7% $198

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 0.9% $2.5

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 125% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 126% $103

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 740% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Aruba and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 53% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Aruba vs $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $332, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

1 h ahead of Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba Montevideo 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
Montevideo

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

Aruba vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Montevideo differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $1,813 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Aruba, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $652 in Aruba versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 125% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Aruba versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aruba and Montevideo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.