Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Iqaluit, NU

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
142

Cost of Living Index in Iqaluit, NU
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Iqaluit, NU Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Iqaluit, NU

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Iqaluit, NU

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU.

Montevideo $1,771
Iqaluit, NU $2,934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $4,585 in Iqaluit, NU.

Montevideo $2,740
Iqaluit, NU $4,585

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $6,236 in Iqaluit, NU.

Montevideo $3,708
Iqaluit, NU $6,236

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 40% less than in Iqaluit, NU, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Iqaluit, NU 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$26.82 CA$38.14

-43.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,779

$63.4 CA$90.1

9.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$12.91 CA$18.36

13.48%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$7.02 CA$9.98

-36.47%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$3.71 CA$5.28

-28.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.62 CA$2.31

23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$6.73 CA$9.57

-28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$5.45 CA$7.74

-30.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.44 CA$3.47

-44.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.55 CA$3.63

12.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$3.18 CA$4.53

-44.97%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.41 CA$4.85

37.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$9.71 CA$13.81

42.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$13.07 CA$18.59

-8.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$14.48 CA$20.59

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.70 CA$5.26

-24.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.33 CA$1.90

106.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$3.58 CA$5.09

-50.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.80 CA$5.41

-14.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$2.41 CA$3.42

-18.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$2.16 CA$3.08

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$2.37 CA$3.37

-42.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.58 CA$2.25

18.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$13.88 CA$19.73

-59.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$12.82 CA$18.22

-31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.54 CA$3.62

-11.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.00 CA$4.27

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$2.23 CA$3.17

-31.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,984

$61.5 CA$87.4

20.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$6.57 CA$9.34

-70.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.20

$1.38 CA$1.96

-71.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$20.20 CA$28.73

-48.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.14 CA$1.62

86.84%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$38.0K CA$54.1K

-28.70%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$30.1K CA$42.8K

20.54%

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

$188 UYU 7,567

$114 CA$162

65.45%

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

$20.54 UYU 825

$38.71 CA$55.0

-46.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$53.6 CA$76.2

-16.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$40.57 CA$57.7

33.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$17.61 CA$25.04

12.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$8.09 CA$11.51

47.71%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$755 CA$1,073

-15.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.1K

$13.1K CA$18.6K

-15.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,104

$52.7 CA$74.9

93.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,312

$38.18 CA$54.3

50.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,086

$85.7 CA$122

47.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,137

$102 CA$145

24.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$1,751 CA$2,489

-58.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,700 CA$2,417

-66.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,877 CA$4,091

-60.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$3,448 CA$4,902

-70.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.3K

$4,252 CA$6,045

-20.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.3K

$3,525 CA$5,011

-44.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$4,135 CA$5,879

-69.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

5.32

7.89%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Iqaluit, NU: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Iqaluit, NU

$1.7K 58% 199% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Iqaluit, NU

$358 12.2% 8.1% $27

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Iqaluit, NU

$403 13.8% 49.9% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Iqaluit, NU

$206 7% 18.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Iqaluit, NU

$125 4.3% 32.7% $61

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Iqaluit, NU

$84 2.9% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Iqaluit, NU

$57 1.9% 27.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iqaluit, NU pays 232% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $63.0 in Iqaluit, NU. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $358, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Iqaluit, NU

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.18 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.99 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Iqaluit, NU 11,020 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Iqaluit, NU

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 Iqaluit, NU: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 232% lower in Iqaluit, NU. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $1,751 in Iqaluit, NU. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $755 in Iqaluit, NU. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Iqaluit, NU. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,934 in Iqaluit, NU, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Iqaluit, NU. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montevideo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Iqaluit, NU, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Iqaluit, NU 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 66% less than in Iqaluit, NU. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.