Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Portmore: $1,246 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
Learn more

Portmore Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Portmore

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,246 in Portmore, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Portmore $1,246

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,073 in Portmore, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Portmore $2,073

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,900 in Portmore, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Portmore $2,900

Montevideo costs about 42% more than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Portmore is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.15 JMD 1,603

49.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

9.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.04 JMD 1,270

82.21%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$5.43 JMD 859

-17.86%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.90 JMD 143

196.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.66 JMD 104

203.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.18 JMD 345

121.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.16 JMD 342

75.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$3.02 JMD 478

-54.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.49 JMD 551

-17.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.02 JMD 161

71.57%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.61 JMD 571

29.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$11.52 JMD 1,821

20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.30 JMD 996

90.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$9.43 JMD 1,490

26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.99 JMD 946

-53.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$3.93 JMD 620

-30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.96 JMD 468

-40.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.01 JMD 476

7.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.30 JMD 521

-40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.60 JMD 411

-20.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.59 JMD 251

-13.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.26 JMD 199

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$9.64 JMD 1,523

-42.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.24 JMD 1,776

-21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.81 JMD 444

-19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.26 JMD 356

21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$2.29 JMD 361

-33.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$50.2 JMD 7,931

47.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$0.96 JMD 152

98.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.09 JMD 488

-87.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.24 JMD 985

65.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.18 JMD 187

80.51%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

-37.08%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

12.21%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$155 JMD 24.5K

21.63%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$29.01 JMD 4,583

-29.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$52.7 JMD 8,322

-14.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$60.2 JMD 9,503

-10.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$13.38 JMD 2,114

-10.69%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$285 JMD 45.1K

122.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

251.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$23.25 JMD 3,674

339.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$30.94 JMD 4,889

85.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

60.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

35.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$307 JMD 48.6K

133.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$216 JMD 34.1K

162.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$656 JMD 103.7K

74.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$590 JMD 93.3K

73.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

-54.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

-65.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

-4.32%

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 Portmore: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Portmore

$216 17.3% 62% $352

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Portmore

$336 27% 1.3% $4.5

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Portmore

$192 15.4% 28.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Portmore

$237 19% 6.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 45.1% $84

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 10.1% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Portmore

$87 7% 11.6% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $307 in Portmore. 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 5% higher in Portmore, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $63.0 in Portmore. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $336 in Portmore – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

170,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Portmore 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 42%, 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 $1,868 in Portmore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $285 in Portmore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Portmore, where all-in costs run around $1,246, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Portmore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Portmore – 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 Portmore. 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.