Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,832 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
Learn more

Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Surfers Paradise

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,832 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Surfers Paradise $2,832

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Montevideo vs $4,395 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Montevideo $2,784
Surfers Paradise $4,395

A family of three spends $3,797 per month in Montevideo vs $5,958 in Surfers Paradise, rent included.

Montevideo $3,797
Surfers Paradise $5,958

Montevideo is about 37% cheaper than Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Surfers Paradise sit above the global median – Montevideo by 30%, Surfers Paradise by 108%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 628

$17.37 A$24.70

-10.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,811

$103 A$147

-32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 583

$10.98 A$15.62

32.15%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$4.11 A$5.85

7.79%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$2.80 A$3.98

-11.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.4

$2.42 A$3.45

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$7.74 A$11.00

-38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$7.73 A$10.99

-52.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.64 A$2.33

-23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$2.65 A$3.77

12.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$2.41 A$3.43

-27.80%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$5.00 A$7.10

-4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$8.93 A$12.71

57.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 456

$9.39 A$13.35

20.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$14.52 A$20.65

-16.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$3.80 A$5.40

-27.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$3.01 A$4.28

-5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$3.40 A$4.84

-52.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$4.77 A$6.78

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$2.84 A$4.03

-28.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$2.47 A$3.51

-13.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 55.9

$2.30 A$3.27

-39.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$2.02 A$2.87

-3.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$39.26 A$55.8

-86.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$14.09 A$20.05

-41.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$6.01 A$8.55

-60.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$4.95 A$7.04

-43.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$0.36 A$0.52

330.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.12 A$3.02

-9.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.54

$1.59 A$2.26

-74.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$36.52 A$51.9

-71.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$1.37 A$1.95

62.77%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$29.3K A$41.6K

-9.29%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$25.6K A$36.5K

39.86%

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

$184 UYU 7,388

$214 A$305

-14.14%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$30.45 A$43.31

-33.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,738

$57.0 A$81.1

-24.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,948

$68.3 A$97.1

-28.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$14.88 A$21.16

32.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$13.86 A$19.71

-12.63%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$1,999 A$2,843

-68.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 441.9K

$12.7K A$18.1K

-13.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,048

$82.9 A$118

21.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,288

$54.7 A$77.7

4.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,934

$110 A$156

11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,238

$123 A$174

6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$1,935 A$2,752

-61.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$1,581 A$2,248

-63.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$3,857 A$5,486

-66.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$3,066 A$4,361

-63.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.8K

$5,860 A$8,335

-37.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.5K

$4,823 A$6,859

-57.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$3,221 A$4,581

-60.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

5.81

-2.75%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.8% 172% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Surfers Paradise

$379 13.4% 14.9% $49

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Surfers Paradise

$296 10.5% 9.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Surfers Paradise

$302 10.7% 22% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 9.9% $18

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 86.5% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Surfers Paradise

$96 3.4% 32.1% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Montevideo versus $1,935 in Surfers Paradise. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Surfers Paradise are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo versus $103 in Surfers Paradise. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $379 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

20:10 8:10 PM

13 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

19,668

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 40.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.85 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Surfers Paradise 12,360 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surfers Paradise is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Montevideo and $4,248 in Surfers Paradise. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $747 there versus $1,935 in Surfers Paradise.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo and $103 in Surfers Paradise. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Surfers Paradise, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Surfers Paradise at $2,832. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surfers Paradise 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surfers Paradise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.