Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Arviat

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,212 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arviat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
Learn more

Arviat Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Arviat

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montevideo and in Arviat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,212 in Arviat.

Montevideo $1,771
Arviat $2,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $3,119 in Arviat.

Montevideo $2,740
Arviat $3,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $4,025 in Arviat.

Montevideo $3,708
Arviat $4,025

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 20% less than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Arviat 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$17.31 CA$24.61

-12.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,779

$64.8 CA$92.2

6.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$11.21 CA$15.94

30.69%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.65 CA$5.19

22.19%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.95 CA$2.77

36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.54 CA$2.18

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$5.27 CA$7.49

-8.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$5.58 CA$7.93

-31.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.08 CA$2.96

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.51 CA$3.58

14.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$3.27 CA$4.65

-46.48%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.34 CA$4.74

40.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$9.60 CA$13.64

44.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.27 CA$14.60

16.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$14.59 CA$20.75

-17.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.24 CA$4.60

-14.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.18 CA$1.68

132.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$4.18 CA$5.95

-57.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.21 CA$4.57

0.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$2.36 CA$3.36

-16.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$2.11 CA$3.00

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$2.49 CA$3.54

-44.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.63 CA$2.31

15.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$13.77 CA$19.58

-59.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$13.06 CA$18.57

-32.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.37 CA$3.37

-4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.64 CA$3.75

4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$2.20 CA$3.13

-30.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,984

$62.5 CA$88.9

18.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.88 CA$4.10

-33.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.20

$1.59 CA$2.27

-74.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$25.35 CA$36.05

-59.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.30 CA$1.85

63.85%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.2K CA$38.6K

-0.23%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$16.4K CA$23.3K

121.00%

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

$188 UYU 7,567

$147 CA$209

27.80%

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

$20.54 UYU 825

$34.05 CA$48.41

-39.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$50.0 CA$71.1

-10.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$42.33 CA$60.2

27.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$16.95 CA$24.10

16.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$12.62 CA$17.94

-5.31%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$707 CA$1,005

-10.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.1K

$12.9K CA$18.3K

-14.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,104

$46.01 CA$65.4

121.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,312

$33.72 CA$47.95

70.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,086

$93.9 CA$133

34.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,137

$98.8 CA$141

29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$1,306 CA$1,856

-44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,105 CA$1,570

-48.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,051 CA$2,917

-44.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,534 CA$2,181

-33.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.3K

$4,007 CA$5,697

-15.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.3K

$3,716 CA$5,284

-47.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.66

23.18%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Arviat: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Arviat

$1.1K 50% 94.5% $537

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Arviat

$336 15.2% 1.5% $4.9

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Arviat

$267 12.1% 0.7% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Arviat

$231 10.5% 8.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Arviat

$123 5.5% 34.2% $64

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Arviat

$82 3.7% 2.6% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Arviat

$68 3.1% 13.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $1,306 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $65.0 in Arviat. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $336, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

2,800

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 40.18 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.99 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Arviat 11,210 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Arviat

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

Montevideo vs Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Arviat differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $2,212 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $3,318 in Arviat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $1,306 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $707 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Arviat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,212 in Arviat, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Arviat. 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, Montevideo and Arviat 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 25% less than in Arviat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.