Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Burlington

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Burlington
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,634
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Burlington

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,634 in Burlington, rent included.

  • Montevideo $1,771
  • Burlington $2,634

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $3,790 in Burlington, rent included.

  • Montevideo $2,740
  • Burlington $3,790

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $4,946 in Burlington, rent included.

  • Montevideo $3,708
  • Burlington $4,946

Montevideo is about 33% cheaper than Burlington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Montevideo and Burlington sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Burlington by 95%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.16 UYU 609
$21.10 CA$29.82
-28.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.2 UYU 2,776
$71.3 CA$101
-3.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.65 UYU 588
$10.70 CA$15.13
36.92%
Cappuccino
$4.46 UYU 179
$3.40 CA$4.81
31.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 UYU 107
$1.98 CA$2.80
34.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 UYU 80.4
$1.53 CA$2.16
30.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.83 UYU 194
$5.52 CA$7.81
-12.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 UYU 152
$6.16 CA$8.71
-38.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 UYU 54.8
$2.63 CA$3.72
-48.29%
White Bread (500g)
$2.87 UYU 115
$2.78 CA$3.93
3.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 UYU 70.2
$3.71 CA$5.24
-52.83%
Eggs
$4.68 UYU 188
$3.51 CA$4.97
33.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.88 UYU 557
$9.94 CA$14.05
39.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.98 UYU 481
$10.43 CA$14.75
14.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.97 UYU 480
$14.22 CA$20.10
-15.82%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 UYU 111
$3.56 CA$5.03
-21.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.74 UYU 110
$1.51 CA$2.13
81.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 UYU 71.2
$2.72 CA$3.84
-34.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 UYU 130
$3.53 CA$4.99
-8.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 UYU 79.2
$1.92 CA$2.71
2.60%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 UYU 83.1
$1.84 CA$2.61
12.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 UYU 55.1
$2.05 CA$2.89
-33.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 UYU 75.3
$1.47 CA$2.08
27.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.59 UYU 224
$13.04 CA$18.44
-57.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.78 UYU 352
$10.57 CA$14.94
-16.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 UYU 90.9
$2.61 CA$3.69
-13.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 UYU 110
$2.85 CA$4.02
-3.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.53 UYU 61.5
$2.55 CA$3.61
-40.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.3 UYU 2,980
$97.3 CA$138
-23.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.91 UYU 76.7
$4.96 CA$7.01
-61.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 UYU 16.18
$2.39 CA$3.38
-83.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.33 UYU 415
$42.21 CA$59.7
-75.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 UYU 85.6
$1.15 CA$1.63
85.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
$27.2K CA$38.5K
-0.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
$20.2K CA$28.5K
79.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 UYU 7,557
$143 CA$202
31.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.54 UYU 824
$44.20 CA$62.5
-53.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.81 UYU 1,798
$66.7 CA$94.3
-32.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.0 UYU 2,166
$51.3 CA$72.5
5.23%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.75 UYU 793
$29.46 CA$41.65
-32.96%
Cinema Ticket
$11.95 UYU 480
$15.93 CA$22.51
-24.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$634 UYU 25.5K
$1,151 CA$1,628
-44.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
$19.2K CA$27.1K
-42.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 UYU 4,099
$68.0 CA$96.1
50.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 UYU 2,309
$63.8 CA$90.1
-9.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 UYU 5,079
$97.1 CA$137
30.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 UYU 5,131
$97.0 CA$137
31.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$719 UYU 28.8K
$1,617 CA$2,286
-55.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$568 UYU 22.8K
$1,393 CA$1,969
-59.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
$2,558 CA$3,616
-55.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
$2,136 CA$3,019
-52.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
$5,013 CA$7,087
-32.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
$4,029 CA$5,696
-51.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montevideo
Burlington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
$3,161 CA$4,468
-60.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.74
4.52
26.99%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
$568
Burlington
$1.4K 145% $825
Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
$332
Burlington
$338 2% $6.6
Eating Out
Montevideo
$269
Burlington
$296 9.8% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
$254
Burlington
$254 0% $0.1
Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
$186
Burlington
$147 21.3% $40
Getting Around
Montevideo
$84
Burlington
$124 47.5% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
$78
Burlington
$83 6.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $1,617 in Burlington. 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 154% higher in Burlington, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $71.0 in Burlington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $338 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🇨🇦 Burlington
🕒 Local time
16:20 4:20 PM
15:20 3:20 PM
1 h behind Montevideo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,319,108 Capital
183,314
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montevideo Burlington 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montevideo
  • Burlington

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 Burlington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burlington cheaper than Montevideo?
Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $3,952 in Burlington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $1,151 in Burlington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Montevideo and in Burlington?
Groceries cost about 2% more in Burlington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Montevideo or in Burlington?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Montevideo or Burlington more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Montevideo or Burlington?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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