Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Swift Current

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,155 in Swift Current, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Swift Current outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Swift Current
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Swift Current Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Swift Current

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,155

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Swift Current

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,155 in Swift Current, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Swift Current $2,155

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $3,085 in Swift Current, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Swift Current $3,085

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $4,015 in Swift Current, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Swift Current $4,015

Montevideo is about 18% cheaper than Swift Current, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Swift Current sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Swift Current by 60%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$15.54 CA$22.08

-2.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$55.2 CA$78.4

25.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$9.13 CA$12.97

60.46%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.55 CA$5.05

25.63%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.71 CA$2.43

56.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.78 CA$2.54

12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$4.22 CA$6.00

14.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$6.20 CA$8.81

-38.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$2.57 CA$3.66

-47.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.79 CA$2.54

60.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$4.95 CA$7.03

-64.65%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.09 CA$4.40

51.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$8.20 CA$11.65

69.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$8.17 CA$11.61

46.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$10.48 CA$14.90

14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$2.15 CA$3.06

29.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.92 CA$1.30

197.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$2.09 CA$2.97

-15.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.39 CA$3.40

35.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$2.83 CA$4.02

-30.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$2.11 CA$3.00

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$2.13 CA$3.03

-35.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.42 CA$2.02

32.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$14.48 CA$20.58

-61.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$13.64 CA$19.38

-35.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.69 CA$3.82

-15.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.38 CA$4.81

-18.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$2.21 CA$3.15

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

$56.8 CA$80.8

30.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$4.34 CA$6.17

-55.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$1.29 CA$1.83

-68.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$14.05 CA$19.97

-26.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.06 CA$1.50

100.94%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.8K CA$39.5K

-2.56%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$20.3K CA$28.9K

78.46%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$208 CA$296

-9.48%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$46.06 CA$65.5

-55.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$49.58 CA$70.5

-9.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$41.00 CA$58.3

31.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$19.50 CA$27.72

1.28%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$8.55 CA$12.16

39.77%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$476 CA$677

33.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$14.4K CA$20.5K

-23.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$48.49 CA$68.9

110.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$43.18 CA$61.4

33.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$63.6 CA$90.4

99.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$97.8 CA$139

30.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$1,180 CA$1,677

-39.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,066 CA$1,515

-46.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,138 CA$3,038

-46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,695 CA$2,409

-39.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$3,598 CA$5,114

-5.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$3,143 CA$4,467

-37.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$1,767 CA$2,511

-29.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.8

19.58%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Swift Current: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Swift Current

$1.1K 49.5% 87.7% $498

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Swift Current

$295 13.7% 11% $37

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Swift Current

$242 11.2% 10.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Swift Current

$304 14.1% 19.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Swift Current

$114 5.3% 38.9% $72

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Swift Current

$76 3.6% 9.3% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Swift Current

$58 2.7% 25.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $1,180 in Swift Current. 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 42% higher in Swift Current, 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 $55.0 in Swift Current. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $295 – making Swift Current the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Swift Current

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

18,000

💱 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 Swift Current 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Swift Current

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 Swift Current: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Swift Current is pricier by about 22%, 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 $3,233 in Swift Current. 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 $476 in Swift Current. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Swift Current – 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 Swift Current at $2,155. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Swift Current 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, Swift Current makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.