Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $994 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$994

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Spanish Town

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $994 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Spanish Town $994

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,895 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Spanish Town $1,895

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,796 in Spanish Town, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Spanish Town $2,796

Montevideo costs about 78% more than Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Spanish Town is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$13.25 JMD 2,094

14.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

-6.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.01 JMD 1,265

82.90%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$5.31 JMD 840

-16.01%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.14 JMD 179

134.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.74 JMD 117

170.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.25 JMD 355

114.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.06 JMD 483

24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$4.14 JMD 655

-67.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.76 JMD 594

-23.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.65 JMD 260

6.06%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.56 JMD 562

31.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$11.22 JMD 1,773

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.38 JMD 1,008

87.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.21 JMD 1,614

17.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$6.16 JMD 973

-54.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$3.85 JMD 609

-28.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$7.38 JMD 1,166

-76.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.06 JMD 483

5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.17 JMD 500

-37.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.13 JMD 336

-2.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$3.09 JMD 489

-55.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.45 JMD 228

29.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$9.46 JMD 1,494

-40.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.20 JMD 1,769

-21.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.78 JMD 439

-18.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.95 JMD 624

-30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.16 JMD 183

64.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.05 JMD 483

-86.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.21 JMD 981

66.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.46 JMD 231

45.89%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-38.27%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

12.63%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$165 JMD 26.1K

13.85%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$29.30 JMD 4,629

-29.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$51.8 JMD 8,179

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$12.95 JMD 2,047

-7.72%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$356 JMD 56.3K

77.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$8,212 JMD 1.3M

34.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$23.80 JMD 3,760

329.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$31.13 JMD 4,918

84.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$76.3 JMD 12.1K

65.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$100 JMD 15.9K

27.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$633 JMD 100.0K

80.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$499 JMD 78.9K

104.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$1,155 JMD 182.5K

7.78%

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 Spanish Town: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Spanish Town

$382 38.5% 15.3% $51

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Spanish Town

$219 22% 18.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Spanish Town

$246 24.8% 2.8% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Spanish Town

$104 10.5% 44.1% $82

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Spanish Town

$16 * 1.7% 80.5% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Spanish Town

$26 * 2.6% 66.7% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 8% higher in Montevideo, 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 $74.0 in Spanish Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $382 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

23:12 11:12 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

131,056

💱 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 Spanish Town 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 78%, 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 $1,491 in Spanish Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $74.0 in Spanish Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% 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 Spanish Town, where all-in costs run around $994, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Spanish Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Spanish Town – 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 Spanish Town. 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.