Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
Learn more

St. Thomas Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in St. Thomas

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
St. Thomas $2,432

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $3,274 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
St. Thomas $3,274

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $4,117 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
St. Thomas $4,117

Montevideo is about 27% cheaper than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and St. Thomas sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, St. Thomas by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$21.05 CA$29.92

-27.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$62.6 CA$89.0

10.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$11.38 CA$16.18

28.73%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.32 CA$4.71

34.34%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.19 CA$3.12

21.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.59 CA$2.25

25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$5.02 CA$7.14

-3.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$5.89 CA$8.37

-35.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$2.08 CA$2.96

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.61 CA$3.70

9.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$3.73 CA$5.30

-53.08%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.09 CA$4.39

51.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$9.94 CA$14.13

39.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$15.43 CA$21.92

-22.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$19.20 CA$27.29

-37.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.86 CA$5.49

-27.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.24 CA$1.76

120.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$3.49 CA$4.97

-49.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.97 CA$5.64

-18.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$3.36 CA$4.78

-41.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$3.07 CA$4.36

-32.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$2.85 CA$4.06

-51.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.46 CA$2.07

28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$10.98 CA$15.61

-49.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$12.74 CA$18.10

-31.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.40 CA$3.41

-5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.78 CA$3.95

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$2.25 CA$3.20

-32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

$58.7 CA$83.4

26.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.30 CA$3.27

-16.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$1.62 CA$2.30

-75.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$21.70 CA$30.85

-52.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.13 CA$1.60

88.50%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$28.0K CA$39.8K

-3.29%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$19.7K CA$28.0K

83.99%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$123 CA$175

52.62%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$42.76 CA$60.8

-51.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$55.5 CA$78.8

-19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$44.43 CA$63.1

21.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$20.32 CA$28.87

-2.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$10.33 CA$14.69

15.68%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$399 CA$567

59.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$16.7K CA$23.7K

-33.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$53.5 CA$76.1

90.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$35.84 CA$50.9

60.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$82.2 CA$117

53.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$90.6 CA$129

41.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$1,148 CA$1,631

-37.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,267 CA$1,801

-55.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,794 CA$2,550

-36.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,470 CA$2,089

-30.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$4,187 CA$5,951

-18.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$3,561 CA$5,061

-45.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$2,970 CA$4,221

-58.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.99

15.03%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 123% $699

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 16.8% $56

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 9.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 12.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 36.7% $68

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 7.4% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 16.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 139% higher in St. Thomas, 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $387 in St. Thomas – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

23:16 11:16 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

38,909

💱 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 St. Thomas 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
St. Thomas

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 St. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Thomas is pricier by about 37%, 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 $3,648 in St. Thomas. 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 $399 in St. Thomas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in St. Thomas, 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 $1,771, than in St. Thomas at $2,432. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Thomas 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, St. Thomas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.