Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iqaluit, NU and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Iqaluit, NU
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Iqaluit, NU Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Iqaluit, NU

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,934

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Iqaluit, NU $2,934
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,585 in Iqaluit, NU versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Iqaluit, NU $4,585
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,236 in Iqaluit, NU versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Iqaluit, NU $6,236
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Iqaluit, NU is roughly 66% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Iqaluit, NU 117% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.82 CA$38.14

$15.16 UYU 609

76.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 CA$90.1

$69.2 UYU 2,779

-8.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.91 CA$18.36

$14.65 UYU 589

-11.88%

Cappuccino

$7.02 CA$9.98

$4.46 UYU 179

57.40%

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

$3.71 CA$5.28

$2.67 UYU 107

38.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.31

$2.00 UYU 80.5

-19.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 CA$9.57

$4.83 UYU 194

39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 CA$7.74

$3.80 UYU 153

43.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.47

$1.36 UYU 54.8

79.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.63

$2.87 UYU 115

-11.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CA$4.53

$1.75 UYU 70.3

81.71%

Eggs

$3.41 CA$4.85

$4.68 UYU 188

-27.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 CA$13.81

$13.88 UYU 558

-30.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.07 CA$18.59

$11.98 UYU 481

9.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 CA$20.59

$11.97 UYU 481

20.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.26

$2.78 UYU 112

33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$2.74 UYU 110

-51.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CA$5.09

$1.77 UYU 71.3

102.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.41

$3.24 UYU 130

17.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.42

$1.97 UYU 79.3

22.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CA$3.08

$2.07 UYU 83.2

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 CA$3.37

$1.37 UYU 55.2

72.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.25

$1.88 UYU 75.4

-15.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.73

$5.59 UYU 225

148.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.82 CA$18.22

$8.78 UYU 353

46.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 CA$3.62

$2.26 UYU 91.0

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.27

$2.75 UYU 110

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.53 UYU 61.5

45.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 CA$87.4

$74.3 UYU 2,984

-17.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 CA$9.34

$1.91 UYU 76.8

243.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.96

$0.40 UYU 16.20

245.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 CA$28.73

$10.33 UYU 415

95.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.62

$2.13 UYU 85.7

-46.48%

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

$38.0K CA$54.1K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

40.24%

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

$30.1K CA$42.8K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-17.04%

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

$114 CA$162

$188 UYU 7,567

-39.56%

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

$38.71 CA$55.0

$20.54 UYU 825

88.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 CA$76.2

$44.81 UYU 1,801

19.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 CA$57.7

$54.0 UYU 2,169

-24.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.61 CA$25.04

$19.75 UYU 794

-10.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.09 CA$11.51

$11.95 UYU 480

-32.30%

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

$755 CA$1,073

$634 UYU 25.5K

19.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.6K

$11.1K UYU 444.1K

18.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 CA$74.9

$102 UYU 4,104

-48.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.18 CA$54.3

$57.5 UYU 2,312

-33.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 CA$122

$127 UYU 5,086

-32.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$145

$128 UYU 5,137

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 CA$2,489

$719 UYU 28.9K

143.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 CA$2,417

$568 UYU 22.8K

199.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,877 CA$4,091

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

151.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,448 CA$4,902

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

236.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 CA$6,045

$3,392 UYU 136.3K

25.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,525 CA$5,011

$1,949 UYU 78.3K

80.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 CA$5,879

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

232.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

5.74

-7.32%

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

Last update for Iqaluit, NU: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iqaluit, NU

$1.7K 58%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 66.6% $1.1K

Eating Out

Iqaluit, NU

$403 13.8%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 33.3% $134

Groceries & Markets

Iqaluit, NU

$358 12.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 7.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iqaluit, NU

$206 7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 23.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Iqaluit, NU

$125 4.3%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 48.5% $61

Getting Around

Iqaluit, NU

$84 2.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Iqaluit, NU

$57 1.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 37.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iqaluit, NU pays 232% 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: $63.0 in Iqaluit, NU vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $358 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Iqaluit, NU

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

1 h ahead of Iqaluit, NU

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.18 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.99 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iqaluit, NU Montevideo 11,020 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Iqaluit, NU
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

Iqaluit, NU vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 232% higher in Iqaluit, NU, 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: $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $755 in Iqaluit, NU versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Iqaluit, NU. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Iqaluit, NU. 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 Iqaluit, NU, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Iqaluit, NU 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 66% less than in Iqaluit, NU. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.