Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,764 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,764 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Montevideo $1,764

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,751 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Montevideo $2,751

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,738 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Montevideo $3,738

Cape Town is about 13% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Montevideo sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Montevideo by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$15.45 UYU 622

-22.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$67.2 UYU 2,704

-36.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$14.41 UYU 580

-57.32%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$4.53 UYU 182

-47.68%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.59 UYU 104

-50.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.86 UYU 74.7

-49.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$4.74 UYU 191

-37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$3.64 UYU 146

1.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.25 UYU 50.3

5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.03 UYU 122

-60.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$1.68 UYU 67.8

30.95%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$4.62 UYU 186

-32.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$14.25 UYU 574

-38.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$11.38 UYU 458

-39.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$12.21 UYU 492

-24.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.87 UYU 115

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.68 UYU 108

-27.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.71 UYU 68.8

-2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$3.09 UYU 124

-30.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.99 UYU 80.1

-20.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$2.13 UYU 85.7

-30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.41 UYU 56.6

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.99 UYU 80.2

-42.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$5.59 UYU 225

-35.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$8.26 UYU 332

-26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.25 UYU 90.5

-38.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.81 UYU 113

-22.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.62 UYU 65.2

-13.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$74.1 UYU 2,981

-17.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$1.89 UYU 76.1

-50.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.04 UYU 42.05

-13.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$12.65 UYU 509

-60.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.16 UYU 86.9

-28.70%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$26.2K UYU 1.1M

34.80%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$36.5K UYU 1.5M

-8.58%

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

$117 R 1,918

$184 UYU 7,410

-36.40%

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

$25.71 R 421

$21.28 UYU 857

20.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$42.23 UYU 1,700

-6.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$48.74 UYU 1,962

5.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$19.16 UYU 771

-40.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$12.21 UYU 491

-27.19%

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

$308 R 5,040

$630 UYU 25.3K

-51.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$11.5K UYU 461.4K

-28.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$99.4 UYU 4,003

-42.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$57.0 UYU 2,295

-44.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$122 UYU 4,928

-5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$134 UYU 5,399

-24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$749 UYU 30.1K

39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$569 UYU 22.9K

17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,277 UYU 51.4K

45.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,072 UYU 43.2K

31.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$3,580 UYU 144.1K

-32.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,075 UYU 83.5K

-24.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$1,280 UYU 51.5K

27.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

5.65

92.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Montevideo

$569 32.3% 14.9% $100

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Montevideo

$330 18.7% 47.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Montevideo

$248 14% 35.9% $65

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Montevideo

$270 15.3% 55.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 35% $48

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Montevideo

$88 5% 22.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Montevideo

$73 4.2% 5.4% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $749 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $67 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $330 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

22:04 10:04 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

100 UYU = 2.48 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.26 UYU (100 UYU = 2.48 USD). 1 EUR = 45.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Montevideo 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $2,645 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $749 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,764 in Montevideo. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,764 in Montevideo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,764 in Montevideo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.