Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scarborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Scarborough

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,466 in Scarborough, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Scarborough $2,466

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $3,385 in Scarborough, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Scarborough $3,385

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $4,304 in Scarborough, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Scarborough $4,304

Montevideo is about 28% cheaper than Scarborough, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Scarborough sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Scarborough by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$16.49 CA$23.31

-8.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$68.8 CA$97.2

0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$10.56 CA$14.93

38.73%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.87 CA$5.47

15.25%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.07 CA$2.92

28.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.37 CA$1.94

45.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$6.24 CA$8.82

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$7.08 CA$10.01

-46.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.51 CA$3.56

-45.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.68 CA$3.78

7.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.13 CA$3.01

-17.84%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.45 CA$4.88

35.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.94 CA$12.63

55.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$11.01 CA$15.56

8.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$12.57 CA$17.77

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.22 CA$4.56

-13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.21 CA$1.71

126.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.39 CA$4.79

-47.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.00 CA$5.65

-19.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.65 CA$2.33

19.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.58 CA$2.24

31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$2.28 CA$3.22

-39.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.19 CA$1.68

57.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$13.74 CA$19.43

-59.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$12.75 CA$18.03

-31.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.11 CA$2.99

7.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.51 CA$3.55

9.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$2.35 CA$3.32

-34.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$103 CA$146

-28.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.95 CA$4.17

-35.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.26 CA$1.79

-68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$21.32 CA$30.14

-51.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.21 CA$1.72

76.03%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.5K CA$38.8K

-1.26%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$19.9K CA$28.1K

82.51%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$141 CA$199

33.96%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$34.98 CA$49.45

-41.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$47.92 CA$67.7

-6.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$35.43 CA$50.1

52.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$35.38 CA$50.0

-44.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$12.45 CA$17.60

-4.02%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$808 CA$1,142

-21.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$10.4K CA$14.7K

6.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$51.5 CA$72.9

98.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$39.00 CA$55.1

47.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$84.4 CA$119

49.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$103 CA$146

23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$1,695 CA$2,396

-57.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,342 CA$1,898

-57.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,130 CA$3,011

-46.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,736 CA$2,454

-41.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$7,564 CA$10.7K

-55.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$6,121 CA$8,653

-68.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$2,908 CA$4,111

-57.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.55

26.15%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4% 136% $774

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Scarborough

$323 13.1% 2.5% $8.3

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Scarborough

$269 10.9% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Scarborough

$223 9.1% 11.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Scarborough

$125 5.1% 32.8% $61

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Scarborough

$122 5% 44.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Scarborough

$60 2.5% 22.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $1,695 in Scarborough. 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 134% higher in Scarborough, 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 $69.0 in Scarborough. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $323 in Scarborough – so Scarborough wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

29,960

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Scarborough 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 39%, 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 $3,699 in Scarborough. 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 $808 in Scarborough. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Scarborough – 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 Scarborough at $2,466. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.