Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
Learn more

Kingston Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/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.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Montevideo $1,813
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $2,779 in Kingston.

Montevideo $2,782
Kingston $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $3,890 in Kingston.

Montevideo $3,750
Kingston $3,890

Living in Montevideo is roughly 9% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 35% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$13.57 JMD 2,150

12.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$74.2 JMD 11.8K

-9.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$7.95 JMD 1,261

80.75%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$5.47 JMD 866

-15.17%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.14 JMD 180

139.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.75 JMD 118

178.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.26 JMD 358

110.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.13 JMD 496

17.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$4.12 JMD 654

-66.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$3.79 JMD 600

-26.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.59 JMD 251

6.29%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.56 JMD 564

26.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$11.22 JMD 1,778

26.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.48 JMD 1,026

86.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$10.22 JMD 1,620

18.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$5.89 JMD 933

-51.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.90 JMD 619

-29.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$7.34 JMD 1,163

-76.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.06 JMD 485

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.23 JMD 511

-35.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.67 JMD 423

-22.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$3.05 JMD 483

-54.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$1.51 JMD 240

22.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$9.51 JMD 1,507

-41.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$11.32 JMD 1,793

-21.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$2.82 JMD 447

-18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$4.10 JMD 649

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.78 JMD 123

94.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$37.32 JMD 5,914

97.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$1.24 JMD 196

46.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$3.18 JMD 504

-87.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$6.46 JMD 1,023

65.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.42 JMD 225

56.34%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

-40.12%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

11.80%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$169 JMD 26.7K

13.15%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$29.11 JMD 4,613

-29.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$52.9 JMD 8,390

-16.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$62.5 JMD 9,904

-13.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$17.63 JMD 2,793

11.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$13.28 JMD 2,104

-7.15%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$357 JMD 56.6K

71.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

35.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$23.85 JMD 3,780

331.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$31.37 JMD 4,971

78.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$78.0 JMD 12.4K

59.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$102 JMD 16.1K

27.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$957 JMD 151.6K

-26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$576 JMD 91.3K

-0.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$2,139 JMD 338.9K

-46.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,391 JMD 220.5K

-26.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$2,892 JMD 458.2K

15.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$2,080 JMD 329.6K

-6.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$733 JMD 116.1K

67.79%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Kingston

$576 34.2% 0.2% $1

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Kingston

$384 22.8% 15.6% $52

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Kingston

$223 13.2% 17.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Kingston

$251 14.9% 1.8% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 43.1% $80

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Kingston

$58 3.4% 31.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 13% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Montevideo and $957 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 68% 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: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $384 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

02:24 2:24 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.31 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Kingston 6,270 km ≈ 8 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

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% higher in Montevideo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $957 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $613 in Montevideo versus $357 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Kingston 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 Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.