Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Castries

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,413 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montevideo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Castries

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,413 in Castries, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Castries $1,413

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,371 in Castries, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Castries $2,371

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,330 in Castries, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Castries $3,330

Montevideo costs about 28% more than Castries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Castries sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Castries by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$9.42 EC$25.43

62.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$74.5 EC$201

-9.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$8.41 EC$22.72

70.87%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.67 EC$9.90

26.43%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.97 EC$5.31

38.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.01 EC$2.73

106.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.86 EC$7.72

66.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.28 EC$8.86

11.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.02 EC$5.46

-31.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$1.85 EC$4.99

49.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.72 EC$4.65

-1.74%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.51 EC$12.19

0.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$11.29 EC$30.47

25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$9.08 EC$24.51

32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$14.92 EC$40.29

-18.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$8.61 EC$23.25

-66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.62 EC$4.38

69.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$8.09 EC$21.84

-78.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$14.83 EC$40.04

-78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.50 EC$9.44

-40.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.06 EC$5.56

0.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.20 EC$5.94

-37.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.28 EC$3.46

44.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$9.35 EC$25.25

-40.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.95 EC$29.57

-18.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.31 EC$6.23

-0.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$5.70 EC$15.38

-52.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$1.08 EC$2.91

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$9.49 EC$25.63

-80.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.52 EC$4.11

46.05%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$26.3K EC$70.9K

1.80%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$36.5K EC$98.6K

0.66%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$124 EC$334

54.19%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$89.6 EC$242

-77.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$47.85 EC$129

-7.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$42.35 EC$114

27.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$5.68 EC$15.33

117.08%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$211 EC$570

190.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$83.9 EC$226

22.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$50.2 EC$135

11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$111 EC$299

12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$111 EC$299

17.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$450 EC$1,216

56.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$340 EC$918

69.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,184 EC$3,195

-3.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$708 EC$1,912

43.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$101 EC$273

3207.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$63.4 EC$171

2962.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,122 EC$3,028

9.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

7.75

-25.94%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Castries: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Castries

$340 23.7% 40.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Castries

$431 30% 29.5% $98

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Castries

$177 12.4% 34.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Castries

$261 18.2% 2.3% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Castries

$160 11.1% 13.9% $26

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Castries

$14 * 1% 83.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Castries

$54 3.7% 31.9% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $450 in Castries. 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 10% higher in Montevideo, 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $74.0 in Castries. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $431 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇱🇨 Castries

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

22,000 Capital

💱 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 Castries 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Castries

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 Castries: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 28% more than Castries, 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 $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,119 in Castries. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castries, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,813 in Montevideo and $1,413 in Castries. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $211 in Castries. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castries, where all-in costs run around $1,413, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Castries it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castries costs $1,413 versus $1,813 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Castries. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.