Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cruz Bay and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,940 in Cruz Bay, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cruz Bay

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$2,940

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,940 in Cruz Bay versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Cruz Bay $2,940
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,735 in Cruz Bay versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Cruz Bay $4,735
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,530 in Cruz Bay versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Cruz Bay $6,530
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Cruz Bay is roughly 62% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cruz Bay 119% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.40 $29.40

$15.26 UYU 613

92.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.2 $92.2

$67.4 UYU 2,711

36.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.78 $16.78

$14.37 UYU 578

16.77%

Cappuccino

$9.25 $9.25

$4.64 UYU 187

99.35%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$2.73 UYU 110

8.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.09 UYU 84.0

86.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 $7.96

$4.75 UYU 191

67.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.16 $9.16

$3.67 UYU 147

149.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$8.23 $8.23

$1.38 UYU 55.5

496.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

Eggs

$4.93 $4.93

$4.52 UYU 182

9.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.54 $15.54

$12.07 UYU 485

28.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

Apples (1kg)

$8.57 $8.57

$2.87 UYU 116

198.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

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)

$25.46 $25.46

$8.89 UYU 357

186.39%

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)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

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)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

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)

$357 $357

$191 UYU 7,674

86.97%

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

$141 $141

$20.40 UYU 820

590.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.6 $59.6

$44.14 UYU 1,775

35.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 $90.0

$54.1 UYU 2,177

66.14%

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)

$613 UYU 24.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K $13.2K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

19.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$705 UYU 28.4K

155.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 $1,523

$575 UYU 23.1K

164.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,551 $3,551

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

211.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,454 $3,454

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

240.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

225.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,136 $6,136

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

399.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-12.89%

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

Last update for Cruz Bay: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Groceries & Markets

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Eating Out

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Getting Around

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Cruz Bay

–

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,799 in Cruz Bay and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cruz Bay pays 399% 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: $92.0 in Cruz Bay vs $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $332, with Cruz Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇮 Cruz Bay

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h ahead of Cruz Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,743

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cruz Bay Montevideo 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cruz Bay
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

Cruz Bay vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cruz Bay and Montevideo differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,940 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 399% higher in Cruz Bay, 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: $1,799 in Cruz Bay versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $92.0 in Cruz Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,940 per month in Cruz Bay versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,940 in Cruz Bay, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Cruz Bay. 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, Cruz Bay 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 62% less than in Cruz Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.