Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,224 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kingston 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 Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Kingston

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $2,224 in Kingston, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Kingston $2,224

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $3,051 in Kingston, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Kingston $3,051

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,879 in Kingston, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Kingston $3,879

Montevideo is about 18% cheaper than Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Kingston sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Kingston by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$14.71 CA$20.97

3.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$62.7 CA$89.3

7.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$11.17 CA$15.92

28.65%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.51 CA$5.00

32.19%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.01 CA$2.87

35.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.31 CA$1.86

59.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$5.87 CA$8.37

-19.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$6.27 CA$8.93

-41.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.04 CA$2.90

-32.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.44 CA$3.48

13.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$3.29 CA$4.69

-48.63%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.90 CA$4.14

55.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$10.27 CA$14.64

37.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$11.31 CA$16.12

6.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$9.99 CA$14.24

21.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.89 CA$4.12

-0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.14 CA$1.63

141.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$3.51 CA$5.00

-50.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.55 CA$5.06

-8.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.30 CA$4.71

-37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.24 CA$3.19

-7.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.61 CA$3.72

-47.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.58 CA$2.26

17.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$13.40 CA$19.10

-58.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.16 CA$17.33

-26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.17 CA$3.09

5.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.28 CA$4.68

-17.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$2.48 CA$3.54

-38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$56.2 CA$80.0

31.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$3.07 CA$4.37

-40.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.50 CA$2.14

-73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$31.06 CA$44.27

-65.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.14 CA$1.63

94.74%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$27.6K CA$39.3K

-2.96%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$18.7K CA$26.7K

96.38%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$120 CA$171

58.93%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$38.49 CA$54.9

-47.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$63.2 CA$90.1

-30.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$28.06 CA$40.00

92.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$8.84 CA$12.60

122.62%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$10.41 CA$14.84

18.44%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$514 CA$733

19.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$51.7 CA$73.7

98.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$32.55 CA$46.39

72.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$79.7 CA$114

56.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$85.3 CA$122

51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$1,535 CA$2,188

-54.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$1,181 CA$1,684

-51.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$2,287 CA$3,260

-50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,544 CA$2,201

-34.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$3,384 CA$4,824

-1.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$2,449 CA$3,491

-20.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$2,979 CA$4,246

-58.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.61

24.51%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Kingston

$1.2K 53.3% 105% $606

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Kingston

$326 14.7% 2.1% $6.9

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Kingston

$248 11.2% 8.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Kingston

$222 10% 13.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Kingston

$112 5.1% 39.6% $74

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Kingston

$77 3.5% 8.3% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Kingston

$49 2.2% 38% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $1,535 in Kingston. 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 142% higher in Kingston, 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 $63.0 in Kingston. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $326 – making Kingston the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Kingston

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

123,363

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Kingston 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo, $2,224 in Kingston – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $3,336 in Kingston. 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 $1,813 in Montevideo and $2,224 in Kingston. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Montevideo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Kingston at $2,224. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,813 in Montevideo to $2,224 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.