Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Brades

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $936 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Brades

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 Brades actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $936 in Brades.

Montevideo $1,813
Brades $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $2,172 in Brades.

Montevideo $2,782
Brades $2,172

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $3,408 in Brades.

Montevideo $3,750
Brades $3,408

Living in Montevideo is roughly 94% more expensive than in Brades, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Brades is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$18.33 EC$49.48

-16.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$47.76 EC$129

41.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$11.98 EC$32.35

19.95%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$7.30 EC$19.72

-36.44%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.85 EC$7.70

-4.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.52 EC$4.10

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.01 EC$8.12

57.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.46 EC$12.05

-17.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$3.39 EC$9.15

-59.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.04 EC$8.20

-8.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$7.05 EC$19.04

-35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$5.77 EC$15.59

145.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$9.09 EC$24.54

32.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$23.46 EC$63.3

-48.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$3.18 EC$8.59

-9.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.43 EC$11.95

-26.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.26 EC$6.10

-8.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$5.16 EC$13.92

-73.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$22.14 EC$59.8

-59.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$4.31 EC$11.65

-37.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$1.81 EC$4.89

-16.02%

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

$4.73 EC$12.76

-91.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$1.90 EC$5.13

461.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$22.2K EC$59.8K

20.71%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$15.0K EC$40.6K

144.21%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$92.6 EC$250

106.00%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$40.54 EC$109

-49.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$46.80 EC$126

-5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$56.4 EC$152

-4.01%

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)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

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)

$705 UYU 28.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,313 EC$3,544

-13.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,300 EC$3,510

-21.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,269 EC$3,427

-3.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brades: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Brades

–

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Brades

–

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Brades

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Brades

–

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Brades

–

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Brades

–

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Brades

–

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $48.00 in Brades. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $342, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇸 Brades

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

400

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Brades 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Brades

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 Brades: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Brades. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you'll spend $1,813 per month in Montevideo versus $936 in Brades – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $936 in Brades versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brades but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Brades the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brades delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $936 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brades hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Brades 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 Brades gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.