Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,330 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Harlow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Harlow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,330
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,330 in Harlow versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

  • Harlow $2,330
  • Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,407 in Harlow versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

  • Harlow $3,407
  • Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,483 in Harlow versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

  • Harlow $4,483
  • Montevideo $3,728

Living in Harlow 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: Harlow 72% above, Montevideo 32% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.01 £15.76
$14.82 UYU 595
41.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.7 £68.8
$69.7 UYU 2,797
31.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 £7.86
$14.68 UYU 589
-28.68%
Cappuccino
$5.47 £4.11
$4.65 UYU 186
17.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.63 £1.97
$2.74 UYU 110
-4.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 £1.39
$2.07 UYU 82.9
-10.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.81 £5.11
$4.79 UYU 192
42.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.87 £5.15
$3.63 UYU 146
89.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 £0.98
$1.39 UYU 55.8
-6.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 £1.06
$2.89 UYU 116
-51.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 £0.84
$1.70 UYU 68.1
-34.71%
Eggs
$2.38 £1.79
$4.62 UYU 185
-48.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.83 £5.12
$14.22 UYU 571
-51.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.05 £4.54
$11.62 UYU 466
-47.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.45 £4.84
$12.23 UYU 491
-47.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 £1.54
$2.77 UYU 111
-25.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.23 £0.92
$2.85 UYU 114
-56.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 £0.87
$1.81 UYU 72.5
-36.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.02 £1.52
$3.20 UYU 129
-36.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.63 £1.22
$1.94 UYU 77.8
-15.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 £1.01
$2.16 UYU 86.5
-37.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 £1.01
$1.43 UYU 57.3
-6.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.94 UYU 77.9
-26.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$21.29 £15.97
$5.47 UYU 219
289.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.33 £7.00
$8.95 UYU 359
4.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.70 £2.02
$2.26 UYU 90.8
19.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 £1.53
$2.81 UYU 113
-27.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.73 £2.04
$1.56 UYU 62.6
75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$73.8 UYU 2,962
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.84 £4.38
$1.90 UYU 76.2
207.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 £1.26
$0.43 UYU 17.36
290.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.15 £15.87
$10.59 UYU 425
99.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.92 £1.44
$2.12 UYU 85.2
-9.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.2K
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
45.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K £30.1K
$37.0K UYU 1.5M
8.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$226 £169
$193 UYU 7,727
17.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.95 £8.97
$20.91 UYU 839
-42.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.54 £21.41
$44.89 UYU 1,802
-36.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.10 £35.34
$50.8 UYU 2,038
-7.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.06 £6.05
$19.73 UYU 792
-59.15%
Cinema Ticket
$12.56 £9.42
$12.30 UYU 494
2.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,061 £796
$629 UYU 25.2K
68.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.7K £14.8K
$10.9K UYU 437.3K
81.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.8 £51.6
$104 UYU 4,166
-33.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.19 £24.15
$57.4 UYU 2,305
-43.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 £57.8
$125 UYU 5,010
-38.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$39.33 £29.51
$132 UYU 5,315
-70.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,403 £1,053
$713 UYU 28.6K
96.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,328 £996
$575 UYU 23.1K
130.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,276 £1,708
$1,164 UYU 46.7K
95.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,182 £1,637
$1,033 UYU 41.5K
111.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,418 UYU 137.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,760 UYU 70.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Harlow
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,013 £2,260
$1,244 UYU 49.9K
142.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.91
5.74
-14.46%

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

Last update for Harlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Harlow
$1.3K
Montevideo
$575 56.7% $752
Eating Out
Harlow
$331
Montevideo
$269 18.8% $62
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Harlow
$266
Montevideo
$258 3% $8.1
Groceries & Markets
Harlow
$210
Montevideo
$334 58.9% $124
Clothing & Footwear
Harlow
$98
Montevideo
$188 92.6% $91
Sport & Entertainment
Harlow
$72
Montevideo
$75 4.4% $3.2
Getting Around
Harlow
$25 *
Montevideo
$84 234% $59

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 $1,403 in Harlow and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlow pays 142% 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 Harlow vs $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $334, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Harlow
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
06:03 6:03 AM
02:03 2:03 AM
4 h behind Harlow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
86,191
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Harlow Montevideo 11,080 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Harlow
  • 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
Harlow vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Harlow and in Montevideo?
Harlow and Montevideo differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($2,330 vs $1,784 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Harlow or Montevideo?
Average pay runs 142% higher in Harlow, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Harlow and in Montevideo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,403 in Harlow versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Harlow pay roughly 59% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Harlow or Montevideo?
All in, you'll spend $2,330 per month in Harlow versus $1,784 in Montevideo – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
At $1,784 in Montevideo versus $2,330 in Harlow, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Harlow. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Harlow and Montevideo?
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.
Is Harlow or Montevideo safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Harlow 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.
Where should expats move: Harlow or Montevideo?
Expats usually find Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Harlow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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