Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Old Harbour

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $998 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Old Harbour $998

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,652 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Old Harbour $1,652

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,305 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Old Harbour $2,305

Montevideo costs about 77% more than Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Old Harbour is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$13.53 JMD 2,138

12.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

-6.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.93 JMD 1,253

84.74%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$5.24 JMD 828

-14.89%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.20 JMD 190

122.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.73 JMD 115

173.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.17 JMD 343

122.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.17 JMD 500

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$4.03 JMD 636

-66.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.77 JMD 595

-23.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.59 JMD 251

10.06%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.47 JMD 548

34.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$11.28 JMD 1,783

23.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.38 JMD 1,008

87.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.30 JMD 1,628

16.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$6.09 JMD 963

-54.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$3.80 JMD 601

-27.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$7.45 JMD 1,177

-76.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.06 JMD 484

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.28 JMD 519

-39.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.70 JMD 427

-23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$3.03 JMD 479

-54.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.45 JMD 229

29.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$9.24 JMD 1,459

-39.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.41 JMD 1,803

-23.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.80 JMD 442

-19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$4.00 JMD 633

-31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.16 JMD 184

64.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.07 JMD 486

-86.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.13 JMD 968

68.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.47 JMD 232

44.90%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

-39.46%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

10.50%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$164 JMD 26.0K

14.62%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$29.43 JMD 4,650

-30.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$53.0 JMD 8,374

-15.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$13.05 JMD 2,062

-8.43%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$361 JMD 57.0K

75.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

31.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$23.49 JMD 3,710

334.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$31.98 JMD 5,053

79.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

66.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$104 JMD 16.4K

23.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Old Harbour

$383 38.4% 15.4% $51

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Old Harbour

$220 22% 18.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Old Harbour

$247 24.7% 2.7% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 43.1% $80

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 80.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6% 66.5% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $74.0 in Old Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $383 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

26,024

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Old Harbour 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,497 in Old Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $74.0 in Old Harbour. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Old Harbour, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Old Harbour it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Old Harbour – 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 Old Harbour. 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.