Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,224 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kingston outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,224 per month in Kingston vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Kingston $2,224
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Kingston vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Kingston $3,051
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,879 per month in Kingston vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Kingston $3,879
Montevideo $3,750

Kingston costs about 23% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kingston and Montevideo sit above the global median – Kingston by 66%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.71 CA$20.97

$15.26 UYU 613

-3.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 CA$89.3

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-7.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 CA$15.92

$14.37 UYU 578

-22.27%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$5.00

$4.64 UYU 187

-24.35%

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

$2.01 CA$2.87

$2.73 UYU 110

-26.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-37.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.37

$4.75 UYU 191

23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 CA$8.93

$3.67 UYU 147

70.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 CA$2.90

$1.38 UYU 55.5

47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 CA$3.48

$2.77 UYU 112

-11.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$1.69 UYU 67.8

94.67%

Eggs

$2.90 CA$4.14

$4.52 UYU 182

-35.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 CA$14.64

$14.17 UYU 570

-27.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 CA$16.12

$12.07 UYU 485

-6.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 CA$14.24

$12.16 UYU 489

-17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.12

$2.87 UYU 116

0.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$2.75 UYU 110

-58.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 CA$5.00

$1.73 UYU 69.5

102.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$3.24 UYU 130

9.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.71

$2.07 UYU 83.1

59.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.19

$2.07 UYU 83.1

8.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$1.38 UYU 55.4

89.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.26

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-14.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 CA$19.10

$5.57 UYU 224

140.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 CA$17.33

$8.89 UYU 357

36.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 CA$3.09

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 CA$4.68

$2.70 UYU 109

21.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 CA$3.54

$1.52 UYU 61.3

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 CA$80.0

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-23.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.82 UYU 73.4

68.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 CA$2.14

$0.40 UYU 16.05

275.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.06 CA$44.27

$10.66 UYU 429

191.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-48.65%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

3.05%

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

$18.7K CA$26.7K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-49.08%

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

$120 CA$171

$191 UYU 7,674

-37.08%

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

$38.49 CA$54.9

$20.40 UYU 820

88.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 CA$90.1

$44.14 UYU 1,775

43.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.06 CA$40.00

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-48.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.84 CA$12.60

$19.68 UYU 791

-55.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 CA$14.84

$12.33 UYU 496

-15.57%

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

$514 CA$733

$613 UYU 24.7K

-16.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 CA$73.7

$103 UYU 4,134

-49.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 CA$46.39

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-41.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 CA$114

$124 UYU 5,000

-35.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 CA$122

$130 UYU 5,214

-34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,535 CA$2,188

$705 UYU 28.4K

117.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 CA$1,684

$575 UYU 23.1K

105.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 CA$3,260

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

100.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 CA$2,201

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

52.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,384 CA$4,824

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

1.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,449 CA$3,491

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

26.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,979 CA$4,246

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

142.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

5.74

-19.69%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 51.3% $606

Groceries & Markets

Kingston

$326 14.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 2.1% $6.9

Eating Out

Kingston

$248 11.2%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 9.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kingston

$222 10%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 15.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Kingston

$112 5.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 65.7% $74

Getting Around

Kingston

$77 3.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 9% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kingston

$49 2.2%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 61.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,535 in Kingston versus $705 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 142% higher in Kingston, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Kingston versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $332 – making Kingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Kingston

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

1 h ahead of Kingston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,363

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Kingston Montevideo 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kingston
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

Kingston vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,224 in Kingston, $1,813 in Montevideo – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,336 per month in Kingston and $2,720 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,224 in Kingston and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Montevideo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Kingston at $2,224. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,813 in Montevideo to $2,224 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.