Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,232 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Calgary

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,232 in Calgary.

Montevideo $1,813
Calgary $2,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $3,363 in Calgary.

Montevideo $2,782
Calgary $3,363

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $4,493 in Calgary.

Montevideo $3,750
Calgary $4,493

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 19% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 35% above, Calgary 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$17.22 CA$24.49

-11.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$71.2 CA$101

-5.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$10.56 CA$15.02

36.08%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$3.77 CA$5.37

23.08%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.91 CA$2.72

42.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$1.84 CA$2.62

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$4.86 CA$6.92

-2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$5.55 CA$7.90

-33.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.88 CA$2.67

-26.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.73 CA$3.88

1.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$5.34 CA$7.60

-68.35%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.77 CA$5.36

19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$11.29 CA$16.06

25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$11.46 CA$16.30

5.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$18.26 CA$25.97

-33.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$4.64 CA$6.60

-38.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.44 CA$2.04

90.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$4.22 CA$6.01

-59.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.86 CA$5.49

-16.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.62 CA$3.73

-20.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.66 CA$3.78

-22.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.59 CA$3.68

-46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$1.53 CA$2.18

20.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$14.26 CA$20.28

-60.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$15.27 CA$21.71

-41.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$2.41 CA$3.43

-4.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$3.09 CA$4.40

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$2.88 CA$4.10

-47.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$88.7 CA$126

-16.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$3.23 CA$4.60

-43.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.38 CA$1.97

-71.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$26.49 CA$37.67

-59.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.18 CA$1.67

88.14%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$28.3K CA$40.2K

-5.40%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$20.7K CA$29.5K

77.27%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$159 CA$227

19.83%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$37.61 CA$53.5

-45.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$49.68 CA$70.7

-11.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$53.3 CA$75.7

1.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$18.31 CA$26.04

7.48%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$14.08 CA$20.02

-12.43%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$809 CA$1,151

-24.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$15.9K CA$22.5K

-30.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$58.8 CA$83.6

74.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$38.84 CA$55.2

44.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$91.4 CA$130

36.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$109 CA$155

18.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$1,237 CA$1,760

-43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$996 CA$1,417

-42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,908 CA$2,714

-40.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,671 CA$2,377

-39.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$3,530 CA$5,022

-5.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$3,336 CA$4,745

-41.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$3,130 CA$4,452

-60.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.51

27.27%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Calgary

$996 44.8% 73.1% $421

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Calgary

$387 17.4% 16.5% $55

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Calgary

$265 11.9% 2.2% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Calgary

$247 11.1% 3.5% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Calgary

$134 6% 27.8% $52

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Calgary

$110 5% 32.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Calgary

$81 3.7% 3.3% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Montevideo and $1,237 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 155% 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: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $71.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $387 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,267,344

💱 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 = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Calgary 11,100 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 155% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $1,237 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,813 per month in Montevideo versus $2,232 in Calgary – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,232 in Calgary, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Calgary. 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 Calgary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Calgary 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 23% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.