Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Napier

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,251 in Napier, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Napier outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Napier
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Napier Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Napier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Napier

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,251 in Napier, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Napier $2,251

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Montevideo vs $3,239 in Napier, rent included.

Montevideo $2,784
Napier $3,239

A family of three spends $3,797 per month in Montevideo vs $4,227 in Napier, rent included.

Montevideo $3,797
Napier $4,227

Montevideo is about 21% cheaper than Napier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and Napier sit above the global median – Montevideo by 30%, Napier by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 629

$18.60 NZ$33.04

-15.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,812

$95.3 NZ$169

-26.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 583

$9.50 NZ$16.88

52.74%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$3.45 NZ$6.14

28.41%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$2.27 NZ$4.02

9.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.4

$2.32 NZ$4.12

-15.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$6.67 NZ$11.86

-28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$5.74 NZ$10.20

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.63 NZ$2.90

-22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$1.51 NZ$2.67

97.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$1.48 NZ$2.63

17.57%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$5.65 NZ$10.03

-15.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$7.52 NZ$13.35

86.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 456

$8.58 NZ$15.24

32.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$12.76 NZ$22.67

-4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.29 NZ$4.08

19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$1.67 NZ$2.97

69.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$3.13 NZ$5.55

-47.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$2.88 NZ$5.12

10.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$1.79 NZ$3.18

12.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$2.59 NZ$4.60

-17.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 56.0

$1.86 NZ$3.31

-25.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$1.18 NZ$2.10

64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$20.68 NZ$36.73

-74.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$8.47 NZ$15.05

-1.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$2.55 NZ$4.54

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.44 NZ$4.34

14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$1.97 NZ$3.49

-21.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,013

$104 NZ$185

-27.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$2.30 NZ$4.09

-16.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.55

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-77.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$30.23 NZ$53.7

-65.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$1.54 NZ$2.74

44.81%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$25.9K NZ$46.0K

2.49%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

50.27%

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

$184 UYU 7,391

$185 NZ$329

-0.68%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$35.28 NZ$62.7

-42.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,739

$48.81 NZ$86.7

-11.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,949

$34.62 NZ$61.5

40.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$10.85 NZ$19.28

81.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$8.68 NZ$15.42

39.52%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$690 NZ$1,226

-7.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

$16.8K NZ$29.8K

-34.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,050

$107 NZ$190

-5.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,289

$35.09 NZ$62.3

62.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,936

$104 NZ$185

17.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,241

$121 NZ$216

7.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$1,193 NZ$2,120

-37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$1,080 NZ$1,918

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$1,707 NZ$3,033

-24.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$1,491 NZ$2,649

-24.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

$4,873 NZ$8,657

-25.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

$3,334 NZ$5,922

-39.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$3,110 NZ$5,525

-58.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

6.54

-13.61%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Napier: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Napier

$1.1K 48% 86% $499

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Napier

$279 12.4% 15.6% $51

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Napier

$282 12.5% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Napier

$269 12% 8.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Napier

$166 7.4% 10.4% $19

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Napier

$123 5.5% 44.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Napier

$52 2.3% 28.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Montevideo versus $1,193 in Napier. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Napier are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo versus $95 in Napier. Groceries tell a different story – $330 in Montevideo vs $279 in Napier – so Napier wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇳🇿 Napier

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

20:31 8:31 PM

16 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.87 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Napier 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Napier

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 Napier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Napier is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Montevideo and $3,376 in Napier. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $747 there versus $1,193 in Napier.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Montevideo and $690 in Napier. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Napier – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,771 in Montevideo and $2,251 in Napier, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Napier makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.