Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Green Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Green Island: $1,003 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Green Island
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Green Island Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Green Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Montevideo versus $1,003 in Green Island.

Montevideo $1,784
Green Island $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,756 in Montevideo versus $1,656 in Green Island.

Montevideo $2,756
Green Island $1,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,728 in Montevideo versus $2,308 in Green Island.

Montevideo $3,728
Green Island $2,308

Living in Montevideo is roughly 78% more expensive than in Green Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 32% above, Green Island is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$13.40 JMD 2,117

10.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$73.9 JMD 11.7K

-5.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$8.05 JMD 1,271

82.36%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$5.34 JMD 843

-12.92%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.14 JMD 180

140.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$0.68 JMD 108

204.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$2.19 JMD 346

118.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$3.20 JMD 505

13.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$4.10 JMD 647

-66.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$3.81 JMD 603

-24.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.61 JMD 255

5.59%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$3.50 JMD 554

32.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$11.48 JMD 1,814

23.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$6.12 JMD 967

89.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$10.14 JMD 1,603

20.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$5.96 JMD 942

-53.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$3.83 JMD 604

-25.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$7.34 JMD 1,160

-75.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$2.95 JMD 466

8.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$3.26 JMD 515

-40.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$2.66 JMD 421

-18.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$2.98 JMD 472

-52.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.46 JMD 230

32.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$9.17 JMD 1,449

-40.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$11.48 JMD 1,813

-22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$2.92 JMD 462

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$3.88 JMD 613

-27.58%

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

$1.23 JMD 194

54.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$3.08 JMD 486

-86.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$6.24 JMD 985

69.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.39 JMD 220

52.52%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$44.6K JMD 7.1M

-39.99%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

13.87%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$170 JMD 26.9K

13.07%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$29.69 JMD 4,690

-29.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$52.2 JMD 8,251

-14.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$13.42 JMD 2,121

-8.35%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$360 JMD 56.8K

74.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$8,332 JMD 1.3M

30.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$23.80 JMD 3,761

336.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$31.64 JMD 5,000

81.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$77.9 JMD 12.3K

60.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$102 JMD 16.1K

29.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

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

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

9.45

-39.26%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Green Island: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Green Island

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Green Island

$382 38% 14.5% $48

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Green Island

$220 21.9% 18.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Green Island

$252 25.1% 2.4% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Green Island

$106 10.6% 43.7% $82

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Green Island

$17 * 1.7% 80.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Green Island

$27 * 2.7% 64.4% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $70.0 in Montevideo vs $74.0 in Green Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $382 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇯🇲 Green Island

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

2,546

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Green Island 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Green Island

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 Green Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Green Island differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,784 vs $1,003 including rent). Green Island is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,676 in Montevideo and $1,505 in Green Island to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,784 per month in Montevideo versus $1,003 in Green Island – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,003 in Green Island versus $1,784 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Green Island but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Green Island the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Green Island 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 Green Island gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.