Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cold Lake outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
Learn more

Cold Lake Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cold Lake

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Cold Lake $3,670

Montevideo is about 7% cheaper than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Cold Lake sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Cold Lake by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$19.96 CA$28.21

-24.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$57.5 CA$81.2

20.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.67 CA$13.68

51.50%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.82 CA$5.40

16.75%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.26 CA$3.19

18.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.42 CA$2.01

40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$5.57 CA$7.87

-13.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$6.14 CA$8.68

-38.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.16 CA$1.64

17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.18 CA$3.09

31.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.87 CA$4.06

-39.02%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.07 CA$4.35

52.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.61 CA$14.99

30.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$11.16 CA$15.77

7.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$18.77 CA$26.53

-36.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.50 CA$4.94

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.16 CA$1.64

136.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.81 CA$3.97

-37.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.48 CA$3.50

30.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.15 CA$3.04

-8.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.06 CA$1.50

95.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$2.33 CA$3.30

-41.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.75 CA$2.48

7.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$11.94 CA$16.88

-53.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.41 CA$16.14

-23.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$3.57 CA$5.05

-36.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.85 CA$4.03

-3.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.92 CA$4.13

-34.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.38 CA$1.95

-71.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$20.67 CA$29.22

-50.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.03 CA$1.45

106.80%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$28.3K CA$40.0K

-4.08%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$19.4K CA$27.4K

87.09%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$225 CA$318

-16.31%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$43.04 CA$60.8

-52.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$54.3 CA$76.7

-17.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$12.61 CA$17.82

-5.23%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$761 CA$1,075

-16.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

17.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$28.35 CA$40.08

260.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$35.05 CA$49.55

64.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$51.5 CA$72.8

145.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$85.9 CA$121

48.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$860 CA$1,216

-16.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$840 CA$1,188

-32.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,544 CA$2,183

-25.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,397 CA$1,975

-26.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$3,084 CA$4,359

-59.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.32

32.87%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 48% $273

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 0.9% $2.9

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 7.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 27.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 51.5% $96

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 88.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 67.6% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $860 in Cold Lake. 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 148% higher in Cold Lake, 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 $57.0 in Cold Lake. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $335 in Cold Lake – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

11,595

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Cold Lake 11,200 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cold Lake is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,868 in Cold Lake. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $761 in Cold Lake. 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 $1,771, than in Cold Lake at $1,912. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cold Lake 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, Cold Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.