Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and High Level

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,098 in High Level, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in High Level outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in High Level
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High Level Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

High Level

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in High Level

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,098 in High Level.

Montevideo $1,771
High Level $2,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $3,162 in High Level.

Montevideo $2,740
High Level $3,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $4,226 in High Level.

Montevideo $3,708
High Level $4,226

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 16% less than in High Level, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, High Level 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$16.59 CA$23.45

-8.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$69.9 CA$98.8

-1.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.72 CA$16.58

25.00%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.73 CA$5.27

19.57%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.72 CA$2.43

55.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.51 CA$2.14

32.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$5.69 CA$8.04

-15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.90 CA$8.34

-35.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.99 CA$2.81

-31.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.65 CA$3.75

8.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.77 CA$3.92

-36.82%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.76 CA$5.32

24.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.10 CA$14.28

37.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.12 CA$14.31

18.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$14.22 CA$20.10

-15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.91 CA$5.53

-28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.25 CA$1.77

119.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.66 CA$5.18

-51.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.78 CA$5.35

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.78 CA$3.93

-29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.48 CA$3.51

-16.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$2.11 CA$2.99

-35.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.38 CA$1.95

36.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$12.27 CA$17.35

-54.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.99 CA$16.95

-26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.73 CA$3.87

-17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.73 CA$3.86

0.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$2.06 CA$2.91

-25.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$67.0 CA$94.7

10.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.95 CA$4.18

-35.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.49 CA$2.11

-73.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$22.92 CA$32.40

-54.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.11 CA$1.57

91.89%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$29.3K CA$41.4K

-7.52%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$17.2K CA$24.3K

111.07%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$135 CA$191

39.50%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$38.65 CA$54.6

-46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$54.0 CA$76.4

-17.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$40.78 CA$57.6

32.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$17.18 CA$24.29

14.96%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$10.86 CA$15.35

10.04%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$772 CA$1,092

-17.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$11.4K CA$16.2K

-3.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$44.96 CA$63.6

127.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$33.50 CA$47.36

71.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$74.8 CA$106

69.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$102 CA$145

24.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$1,196 CA$1,690

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,003 CA$1,419

-43.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,712 CA$2,420

-33.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,726 CA$2,440

-40.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$4,435 CA$6,270

-23.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$4,083 CA$5,772

-52.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.66

23.18%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for High Level: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

High Level

$1K 47.8% 76.7% $436

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

High Level

$338 16.1% 2% $6.6

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

High Level

$266 12.7% 1.2% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

High Level

$228 10.9% 10.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

High Level

$115 5.5% 38.3% $71

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

High Level

$86 4.1% 1.5% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

High Level

$62 3% 19.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $1,196 in High Level. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $70.0 in High Level for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $338 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 High Level

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

3,200

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 High Level 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
High Level

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 High Level: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and High Level differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $2,098 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $3,147 in High Level 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $1,196 in High Level. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $2,098 in High Level – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Montevideo runs roughly 11% less than in High Level. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,098 in High Level, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in High Level. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo 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 High Level 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 Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in High Level. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.