Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Canelones

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $1,997 in Canelones, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Canelones outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Canelones
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Canelones Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Canelones

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Canelones

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,997 in Canelones, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Canelones $1,997

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $2,195 in Canelones, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Canelones $2,195

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $2,394 in Canelones, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Canelones $2,394

Montevideo is about 11% cheaper than Canelones, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and Canelones sit above the global median – Montevideo by 32%, Canelones by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$14.97 UYU 601

-1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$50.3 UYU 2,018

38.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$14.33 UYU 575

2.44%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$4.05 UYU 163

14.81%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.72 UYU 109

0.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$4.62 UYU 185

3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$2.96 UYU 119

22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.38 UYU 55.6

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.83 UYU 114

2.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.72 UYU 68.9

-1.16%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$4.44 UYU 178

4.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$13.98 UYU 561

1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$11.55 UYU 464

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$11.93 UYU 479

2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.76 UYU 111

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$2.76 UYU 111

3.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$1.74 UYU 69.6

4.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$3.20 UYU 128

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$1.91 UYU 76.5

1.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$2.07 UYU 83.3

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.38 UYU 55.5

3.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.91 UYU 76.6

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$5.49 UYU 220

-0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$8.55 UYU 343

4.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$2.36 UYU 94.7

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.83 UYU 113

-0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$1.91 UYU 76.6

-0.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$0.40 UYU 16.04

7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$10.60 UYU 426

-0.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.91 UYU 76.8

10.99%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$26.0K UYU 1.0M

3.13%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$35.7K UYU 1.4M

3.59%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$191 UYU 7,674

0.69%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$20.54 UYU 824

1.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$45.11 UYU 1,810

-0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$68.4 UYU 2,747

-25.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$12.45 UYU 500

-1.20%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$627 UYU 25.2K

0.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$11.0K UYU 443.0K

-1.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$102 UYU 4,090

1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$49.03 UYU 1,968

17.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$111 UYU 4,453

12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$132 UYU 5,303

0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$878 UYU 35.2K

-34.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$3,960 UYU 158.9K

-13.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

$873 UYU 35.0K

42.53%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Canelones: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Canelones

$878 44% 52.6% $302

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Canelones

$328 16.4% 1.6% $5.2

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Canelones

$260 13% 3.4% $9.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Canelones

$257 12.9% 0.6% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Canelones

$177 8.9% 5.9% $11

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Canelones

$3.9 * 0.2% 95.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Canelones

$93 4.7% 23.8% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 43% higher in Montevideo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montevideo versus $50.0 in Canelones. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $328 – making Canelones the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇾 Canelones

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

Same time as Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

19,865

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Montevideo Canelones 43 km

From you

Montevideo
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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 Canelones: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Canelones is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $2,996 in Canelones. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,784 in Montevideo and $1,997 in Canelones. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $629 per month in Montevideo and $627 in Canelones. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Canelones at $1,997. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canelones it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Canelones makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.