Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Sarnia

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,002 in Sarnia, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sarnia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Sarnia
Learn more

Sarnia Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Sarnia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Sarnia

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,002 in Sarnia, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Sarnia $2,002

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,788 in Sarnia, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Sarnia $2,788

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,574 in Sarnia, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Sarnia $3,574

Montevideo is about 12% cheaper than Sarnia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Sarnia sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Sarnia by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$13.54 CA$19.24

11.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$45.30 CA$64.4

52.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$9.77 CA$13.89

49.95%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.95 CA$4.20

51.19%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.93 CA$2.75

38.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.37 CA$1.94

45.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$4.26 CA$6.05

13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$5.72 CA$8.13

-33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.25 CA$1.77

8.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.39 CA$3.40

20.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$2.42 CA$3.45

-27.69%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.77 CA$3.94

68.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$11.04 CA$15.69

25.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$11.18 CA$15.89

7.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$13.68 CA$19.44

-12.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.51 CA$5.00

-20.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.17 CA$1.67

134.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$3.48 CA$4.95

-49.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.46 CA$4.92

-6.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$1.32 CA$1.87

49.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$1.80 CA$2.56

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$1.63 CA$2.32

-15.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.26 CA$1.79

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$12.21 CA$17.36

-54.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$9.98 CA$14.19

-12.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.42 CA$3.44

-6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.77 CA$3.93

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$2.30 CA$3.27

-33.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

$56.7 CA$80.6

30.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.43 CA$3.46

-21.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$1.70 CA$2.42

-76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$27.85 CA$39.58

-62.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.17 CA$1.66

82.05%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.4K CA$38.9K

-1.03%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$18.8K CA$26.8K

92.63%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$138 CA$197

35.99%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$29.32 CA$41.67

-29.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$45.42 CA$64.6

-1.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$23.76 CA$33.77

127.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$17.73 CA$25.20

11.39%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$11.50 CA$16.35

3.91%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$349 CA$497

81.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$15.8K CA$22.5K

-30.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$55.3 CA$78.7

84.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$29.75 CA$42.28

93.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$74.0 CA$105

71.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$73.0 CA$104

75.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$1,342 CA$1,907

-46.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,032 CA$1,467

-44.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,432 CA$3,456

-52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,451 CA$2,063

-29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$3,061 CA$4,351

-59.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

5.09

12.77%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sarnia: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Sarnia

$1K 51.5% 81.7% $464

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Sarnia

$310 15.5% 6.5% $22

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Sarnia

$219 10.9% 18.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Sarnia

$213 10.7% 15.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Sarnia

$104 5.2% 44% $82

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Sarnia

$77 3.8% 8.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Sarnia

$47 2.3% 40% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $1,342 in Sarnia. 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 146% higher in Sarnia, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $45.00 in Sarnia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $310 – making Sarnia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Sarnia

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

71,594

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.01 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Sarnia 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Sarnia

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 Sarnia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sarnia is pricier by about 13%, 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 $3,003 in Sarnia. 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.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $349 in Sarnia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Sarnia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Sarnia at $2,002. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarnia 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, Sarnia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.