Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Kingstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingstown: $1,321 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Kingstown
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Kingstown Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Kingstown

🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$1,321

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Kingstown

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,321 in Kingstown, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Kingstown $1,321

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,994 in Kingstown, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Kingstown $1,994

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $2,666 in Kingstown, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Kingstown $2,666

Montevideo costs about 37% more than Kingstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Kingstown is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$6.33 EC$17.08

141.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$37.40 EC$101

80.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$10.36 EC$27.98

38.71%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$4.01 EC$10.84

15.71%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.33 EC$6.28

17.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.82 EC$4.91

14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.69 EC$4.57

181.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$2.21 EC$5.95

66.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$3.15 EC$8.49

-56.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.16 EC$5.82

28.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.43 EC$3.86

18.18%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.61 EC$12.44

-1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$13.19 EC$35.60

7.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$3.86 EC$10.42

212.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$12.25 EC$33.09

-0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$9.78 EC$26.41

-70.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.48 EC$9.40

-20.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$9.89 EC$26.70

-82.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$5.99 EC$16.16

-45.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.89 EC$10.50

-46.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.88 EC$10.48

-46.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.84 EC$7.67

-51.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.17 EC$5.87

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.15 EC$11.20

34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$16.74 EC$45.20

-46.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.75 EC$7.43

-16.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.46 EC$6.65

9.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$1.19 EC$3.21

27.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$50.2 EC$136

46.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$11.24 EC$30.36

-83.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.80 EC$4.87

-77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$29.10 EC$78.6

-63.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$3.22 EC$8.69

-31.06%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$38.6K EC$104.3K

-30.79%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$30.4K EC$82.0K

21.02%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$75.3 EC$203

153.37%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$33.71 EC$91.0

-39.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$51.7 EC$140

-14.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$32.27 EC$87.1

67.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$4.66 EC$12.58

322.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$4.60 EC$12.42

168.04%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$105 EC$283

485.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$63.6 EC$172

61.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$61.3 EC$166

-8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$74.4 EC$201

67.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$94.0 EC$254

38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$284 EC$768

147.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$329 EC$887

75.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$565 EC$1,525

101.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$474 EC$1,280

114.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$589 EC$1,590

468.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$599 EC$1,616

224.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,069 EC$2,886

15.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

7.5

-23.47%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kingstown: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Kingstown

$329 24.9% 42.9% $247

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Kingstown

$421 31.9% 26.7% $89

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Kingstown

$159 12.1% 41.2% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Kingstown

$161 12.2% 37.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Kingstown

$132 10% 29% $54

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Kingstown

$75 5.7% 10% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Kingstown

$41 3.2% 47.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $284 in Kingstown. 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 15% higher in Montevideo, 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 $37.00 in Kingstown. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $421 in Kingstown – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇨 Kingstown

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

25,720 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Kingstown 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Kingstown

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 Kingstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,982 in Kingstown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kingstown, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Kingstown. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $105 in Kingstown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kingstown, where all-in costs run around $1,321, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Kingstown it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kingstown – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kingstown. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.