Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,764 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,764

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,764 per month in Montevideo vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Montevideo $1,764
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,751 per month in Montevideo vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Montevideo $2,751
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,738 per month in Montevideo vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Montevideo $3,738
Cape Town $3,306

Montevideo costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Cape Town sit above the global median – Montevideo by 30%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.45 UYU 622

$12.01 R 197

28.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 UYU 2,704

$42.92 R 703

56.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.41 UYU 580

$6.15 R 101

134.31%

Cappuccino

$4.53 UYU 182

$2.37 R 38.81

91.14%

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

$2.59 UYU 104

$1.27 R 20.84

103.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 UYU 74.7

$0.94 R 15.37

97.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.74 UYU 191

$2.96 R 48.48

60.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 UYU 146

$3.69 R 60.5

-1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 UYU 50.3

$1.32 R 21.61

-5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 UYU 122

$1.21 R 19.75

150.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 UYU 67.8

$2.20 R 36.05

-23.64%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 186

$3.10 R 50.8

49.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.25 UYU 574

$8.73 R 143

63.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 UYU 458

$6.89 R 113

65.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.21 UYU 492

$9.26 R 152

31.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.83 R 29.90

56.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 UYU 108

$1.95 R 31.94

37.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 UYU 68.8

$1.66 R 27.16

3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 UYU 124

$2.14 R 34.99

44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 UYU 80.1

$1.58 R 25.86

25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.47 R 24.15

44.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 UYU 56.6

$1.35 R 22.05

4.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 80.2

$1.14 R 18.75

74.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$3.58 R 58.6

56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 UYU 332

$6.05 R 99.2

36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 UYU 90.5

$1.39 R 22.82

61.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.18 R 35.69

28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 UYU 65.2

$1.40 R 22.88

15.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 UYU 2,981

$60.8 R 995

21.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 UYU 76.1

$0.93 R 15.18

103.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 UYU 42.05

$0.90 R 14.75

15.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.65 UYU 509

$4.96 R 81.3

155.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 UYU 86.9

$1.54 R 25.23

40.26%

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

$26.2K UYU 1.1M

$35.4K R 579.4K

-25.81%

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

$36.5K UYU 1.5M

$33.4K R 546.7K

9.38%

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

$184 UYU 7,410

$117 R 1,918

57.23%

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

$21.28 UYU 857

$25.71 R 421

-17.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.23 UYU 1,700

$39.41 R 646

7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.74 UYU 1,962

$51.6 R 846

-5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.16 UYU 771

$11.35 R 186

68.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 UYU 491

$8.89 R 146

37.35%

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

$630 UYU 25.3K

$308 R 5,040

104.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K UYU 461.4K

$8,141 R 133.4K

40.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.4 UYU 4,003

$57.4 R 940

73.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 UYU 2,295

$31.75 R 520

79.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 UYU 4,928

$116 R 1,900

5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 UYU 5,399

$101 R 1,650

33.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 UYU 30.1K

$1,047 R 17.1K

-28.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 UYU 22.9K

$669 R 11.0K

-14.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 UYU 51.4K

$1,861 R 30.5K

-31.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 UYU 43.2K

$1,407 R 23.1K

-23.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,580 UYU 144.1K

$2,410 R 39.5K

48.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,075 UYU 83.5K

$1,570 R 25.7K

32.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 UYU 51.5K

$1,630 R 26.7K

-21.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

10.89

-48.12%

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

Last update for Montevideo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$569 32.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 17.5% $100

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 32.4% $107

Eating Out

Montevideo

$270 15.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 35.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$248 14%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 26.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 25.9% $48

Getting Around

Montevideo

$88 5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 18.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 5.2% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $749 in Montevideo versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 27% higher in Cape Town, 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 $67 in Montevideo versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

03:01 3:01 AM

5 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.48 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.26 UYU (100 UYU = 2.48 USD). 1 EUR = 45.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Cape Town 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,645 per month in Montevideo and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $749 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,764 in Montevideo and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,764 in Montevideo and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,764 in Montevideo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.