Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,398 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge 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 Cambridge and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Cambridge versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Cambridge $2,398
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,402 in Cambridge versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Cambridge $3,402
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,406 in Cambridge versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Cambridge $4,406
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Cambridge is roughly 35% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 78% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.45

$15.16 UYU 609

14.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-19.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 CA$14.07

$14.65 UYU 588

-32.01%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$4.46 UYU 179

-21.30%

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

$1.98 CA$2.79

$2.67 UYU 107

-25.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-34.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 CA$7.22

$4.83 UYU 194

5.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.80 UYU 152

64.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$1.36 UYU 54.8

51.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$2.87 UYU 115

-17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 CA$4.36

$1.75 UYU 70.2

76.57%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.68 UYU 188

-31.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.33

$13.88 UYU 557

-21.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.02

$11.98 UYU 481

-5.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 CA$20.22

$11.97 UYU 480

19.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$2.78 UYU 111

42.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$2.74 UYU 110

-56.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.66

$1.77 UYU 71.2

125.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.24 UYU 130

13.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.97 UYU 79.2

32.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$1.37 UYU 55.1

48.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.82 CA$18.13

$5.59 UYU 224

129.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 CA$17.25

$8.78 UYU 352

38.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$2.26 UYU 90.9

13.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$2.75 UYU 110

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$1.53 UYU 61.5

59.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$90.3

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-13.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$1.91 UYU 76.7

26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$0.40 UYU 16.18

345.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.60 CA$31.95

$10.33 UYU 415

118.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-45.54%

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

$25.8K CA$36.5K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-4.67%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-48.91%

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

$149 CA$211

$188 UYU 7,557

-20.89%

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

$42.05 CA$59.5

$20.54 UYU 824

104.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.52 CA$70.0

$44.81 UYU 1,798

10.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 CA$40.42

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-47.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 CA$14.53

$11.95 UYU 480

-13.97%

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

$528 CA$746

$634 UYU 25.5K

-16.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

46.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$76.7

$102 UYU 4,099

-46.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 CA$42.16

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-48.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 CA$105

$127 UYU 5,079

-41.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$128 UYU 5,131

-19.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 CA$1,845

$719 UYU 28.8K

81.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 CA$1,837

$568 UYU 22.8K

128.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 CA$3,547

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

119.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 CA$2,812

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

94.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,236 CA$5,989

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

24.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,850 CA$5,443

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

97.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,938 CA$4,153

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

136.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

5.74

-11.32%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 56.3% $731

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$345 14.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Cambridge

$262 10.9%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 2.9% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$241 10%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$118 4.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 58.3% $69

Getting Around

Cambridge

$85 3.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 0.8% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$49 2.1%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 58.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,305 in Cambridge and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 136% 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: $56.0 in Cambridge vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $345 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

1 h ahead of Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Montevideo 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and transport. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 136% higher in Cambridge, 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: $1,305 in Cambridge versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Cambridge. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $56.0 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,398 in Cambridge, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montevideo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cambridge, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cambridge 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 35% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.