Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Uruguay

Name: Uruguay
Address: UY

For one person, living is cheaper in Uruguay: $1,637 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Uruguay
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Uruguay Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Uruguay

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

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,637 in Uruguay, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Uruguay $1,637

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $2,486 in Uruguay, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Uruguay $2,486

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $3,335 in Uruguay, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Uruguay $3,335

Cost ranges are similar: Australia spans $1,635–$3,245, Uruguay $47.00–$1,997. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Australia is about 55% higher than in Uruguay on average.

Both Australia and Uruguay are pricier than the global median – Australia by 87%, Uruguay by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$17.11 UYU 687

1.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$54.1 UYU 2,169

56.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$12.35 UYU 496

-11.09%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$4.29 UYU 172

-10.49%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$2.31 UYU 92.6

25.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.83 UYU 73.5

25.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$3.76 UYU 151

107.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$3.80 UYU 153

121.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$1.21 UYU 48.76

44.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.56 UYU 103

8.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.66 UYU 66.8

39.16%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$4.21 UYU 169

16.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$12.98 UYU 521

-23.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$10.58 UYU 424

-14.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$11.39 UYU 457

30.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.76 UYU 111

32.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.56 UYU 103

18.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.55 UYU 62.2

109.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$3.07 UYU 123

52.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$1.82 UYU 73.1

56.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.13 UYU 85.6

8.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.32 UYU 52.8

84.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$1.81 UYU 72.7

-8.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$5.45 UYU 219

605.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$7.36 UYU 295

88.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$2.16 UYU 86.6

125.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$2.79 UYU 112

89.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$1.38 UYU 55.4

96.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$76.0 UYU 3,051

23.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.82 UYU 73.2

96.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$1.67 UYU 67.1

-2.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$10.49 UYU 421

281.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$2.12 UYU 85.0

-37.26%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

8.87%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

-30.88%

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

$205 A$296

$150 UYU 6,028

36.74%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$20.75 UYU 833

36.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$40.71 UYU 1,634

39.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$46.61 UYU 1,871

18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$19.19 UYU 770

1.41%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$11.11 UYU 446

35.55%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$575 UYU 23.1K

264.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$9,169 UYU 368.0K

96.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$85.5 UYU 3,431

-8.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$49.89 UYU 2,003

10.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$120 UYU 4,820

-6.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$110 UYU 4,432

10.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$663 UYU 26.6K

135.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$526 UYU 21.1K

130.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$1,079 UYU 43.3K

125.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$871 UYU 34.9K

121.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$3,313 UYU 133.0K

146.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$1,807 UYU 72.5K

235.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$1,067 UYU 42.8K

278.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

5.81

2.24%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Uruguay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Uruguay

$526 32.1% 56.7% $689

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Uruguay

$306 18.7% 17.9% $67

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Uruguay

$268 16.4% 8.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Uruguay

$212 12.9% 27.2% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Uruguay

$165 10.1% 0.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Uruguay

$92 5.6% 21.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Uruguay

$69 4.2% 19.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $337 in Uruguay. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $713 in Montevideo.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $864 in Uruguay. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 305% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 78% more in Australia.

Public transport is 477% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 346% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

🕒 Local time

01:19 1:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

14 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

3,444,263

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Australia Uruguay 11,780 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Uruguay

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

Australia vs Uruguay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uruguay is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 55% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $337 in Uruguay.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Uruguay, adding to the overall 55% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Uruguay, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Uruguay is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.