Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Simpson Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $3,851 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Simpson Bay

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $3,851 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Simpson Bay $3,851

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $6,504 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Simpson Bay $6,504

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $9,157 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Simpson Bay $9,157

Montevideo is about 53% cheaper than Simpson Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Simpson Bay sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Simpson Bay by 187%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$19.11 ANG 34.22

-20.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$131 ANG 234

-48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$12.78 ANG 22.88

12.44%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$4.44 ANG 7.96

4.50%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.91 ANG 5.22

-6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$3.04 ANG 5.44

-31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$5.43 ANG 9.73

-12.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.11 ANG 7.36

-10.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$4.03 ANG 7.21

-65.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.81 ANG 5.02

-1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$3.09 ANG 5.53

-45.31%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.49 ANG 8.04

0.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$24.93 ANG 44.63

-43.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$13.40 ANG 23.98

-9.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$16.98 ANG 30.39

-28.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$4.26 ANG 7.63

-32.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.55 ANG 6.35

-22.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$6.32 ANG 11.31

-72.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$5.06 ANG 9.05

-35.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.96 ANG 7.08

-47.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.44 ANG 6.16

-39.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$3.06 ANG 5.47

-54.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.47 ANG 2.64

25.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$15.22 ANG 27.24

-41.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$1.79 ANG 3.20

50.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$3.08 ANG 5.51

-50.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$15.22 ANG 27.24

-88.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.27 ANG 2.27

74.80%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$502 ANG 899

-61.98%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$35.56 ANG 63.7

-42.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$87.6 ANG 157

-49.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$74.8 ANG 134

-27.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$8.18 ANG 14.65

50.73%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$761 ANG 1,362

-19.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$12.0K ANG 21.6K

-8.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$50.6 ANG 90.6

103.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$39.59 ANG 70.9

41.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$99.5 ANG 178

25.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$59.5 ANG 106

118.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$2,330 ANG 4,171

-69.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$2,273 ANG 4,069

-74.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$6,007 ANG 10.8K

-81.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$5,604 ANG 10.0K

-81.87%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Simpson Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Simpson Bay

–

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Simpson Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Simpson Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Simpson Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $2,330 in Simpson Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo versus $131 in Simpson Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $467 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

6,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, 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 = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Simpson Bay 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Simpson Bay

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 Simpson Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Simpson Bay is pricier by about 112%, 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 $5,776 in Simpson Bay. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo and $131 in Simpson Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Simpson Bay, 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 Simpson Bay at $3,851. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Simpson Bay 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, Simpson Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.