Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Saint John Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent and utilities included – about $52,700 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
297

Cost of Living Index in Saint John Island
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Saint John Island Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Saint John Island

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$6,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Saint John Island

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 Saint John Island actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $6,201 in Saint John Island, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Saint John Island $6,201

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $8,382 in Saint John Island, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Saint John Island $8,382

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $10.6K in Saint John Island, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Saint John Island $10.6K

Montevideo is about 71% cheaper than Saint John Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Saint John Island sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Saint John Island by 363%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$69.9 $69.9

-78.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$150 $150

-54.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$15.14 $15.14

-5.09%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$9.16 $9.16

-49.34%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$3.41 $3.41

-19.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$3.48 $3.48

-39.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$5.13 $5.13

-7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$6.87 $6.87

-46.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$3.15 $3.15

-56.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$7.96 $7.96

-65.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$12.02 $12.02

-85.94%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$12.07 $12.07

-62.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$32.43 $32.43

-56.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$33.00 $33.00

-63.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$24.11 $24.11

-49.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$21.82 $21.82

-86.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.91 $3.91

-29.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$17.29 $17.29

-89.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$11.89 $11.89

-72.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$7.74 $7.74

-73.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$7.86 $7.86

-73.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$4.95 $4.95

-72.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$3.55 $3.55

-47.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$8.86 $8.86

-37.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$23.36 $23.36

-61.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$4.58 $4.58

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$6.17 $6.17

-56.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$7.15 $7.15

-78.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$149 $149

-50.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$30.31 $30.31

-94.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$50.2 $50.2

-78.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.56 $1.56

42.31%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$47.1K $47.1K

-43.25%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$52.2K $52.2K

-29.64%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$297 $297

-35.67%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$98.4 $98.4

-79.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$101 $101

-56.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$80.4 $80.4

27.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$49.69 $49.69

12.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$84.9 $84.9

46.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$100 $100

29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$4,020 $4,020

-82.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$3,511 $3,511

-83.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$5,081 $5,081

-77.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$4,566 $4,566

-77.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$4,412 $4,412

-72.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-18.00%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Saint John Island: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Saint John Island

$3.5K 57.3% 510% $2.9K

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Saint John Island

$987 16.1% 197% $654

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Saint John Island

$781 12.8% 188% $510

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Saint John Island

$496 8.1% 94.4% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Saint John Island

$142 2.3% 23.6% $44

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Saint John Island

$208 * 3.4% 148% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Saint John Island

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $4,020 in Saint John Island. 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 259% higher in Saint John Island, 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 $150 in Saint John Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $987 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇮 Saint John Island

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

4,170

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Saint John Island 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Saint John Island

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 Saint John Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saint John Island is pricier by about 242%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $9,302 in Saint John Island. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 102% less in Montevideo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 197% more in Saint John Island, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Saint John Island at $6,201. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John Island it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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