Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Tobago

For one person, living is cheaper in Tobago: $1,202 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Tobago
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Tobago Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Tobago

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Tobago

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,202 in Tobago, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Tobago $1,202

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,819 in Tobago, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Tobago $1,819

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $2,436 in Tobago, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Tobago $2,436

Montevideo costs about 51% more than Tobago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Tobago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$10.12 TTD 68.3

50.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$42.28 TTD 285

59.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$9.68 TTD 65.3

48.45%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.74 TTD 25.24

24.06%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.59 TTD 10.76

71.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.73 TTD 11.70

20.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.74 TTD 25.27

27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.55 TTD 30.73

-19.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.58 TTD 17.44

-46.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.36 TTD 15.92

17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$2.40 TTD 16.20

-29.58%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.69 TTD 31.69

-3.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$6.39 TTD 43.17

121.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$7.44 TTD 50.2

62.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$6.05 TTD 40.86

100.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$4.02 TTD 27.14

-28.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.49 TTD 16.79

10.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.33 TTD 15.72

-25.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.35 TTD 15.90

37.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$0.95 TTD 6.41

117.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.62 TTD 10.93

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.81 TTD 12.20

-23.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.49 TTD 10.08

24.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.34 TTD 29.33

28.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$21.95 TTD 148

-59.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$3.68 TTD 24.83

-37.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$4.34 TTD 29.28

-37.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.71 TTD 4.78

114.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$0.77 TTD 5.17

136.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$8.66 TTD 58.5

23.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.03 TTD 6.93

115.53%

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

$60.0 TTD 405

218.07%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$26.57 TTD 179

-23.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$75.1 TTD 507

-41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$52.2 TTD 352

3.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$7.59 TTD 51.2

62.45%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$74.3 TTD 501

725.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$43.74 TTD 295

135.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$48.89 TTD 330

14.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$142 TTD 961

-12.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$89.2 TTD 602

45.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$407 TTD 2,746

73.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$327 TTD 2,204

76.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$552 TTD 3,728

106.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$524 TTD 3,536

93.94%

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

$730 TTD 4,931

68.28%

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 Tobago: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Tobago

$327 27% 43.3% $249

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Tobago

$311 25.6% 6.5% $22

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Tobago

$196 16.2% 27.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Tobago

$162 13.3% 36.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Tobago

$146 12% 21.5% $40

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Tobago

$3.6 * 0.3% 95.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Tobago

$67 5.6% 14.6% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $407 in Tobago. 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 68% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $42.00 in Tobago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $311 – making Tobago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇹🇹 Tobago

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

54,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 TTD = 0.148 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.75 TTD (1 TTD = 0.148 USD). 1 EUR = 7.57 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Tobago 5,150 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Tobago

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 Tobago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,804 in Tobago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tobago, 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 $42.00 in Tobago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tobago, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Tobago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tobago – 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 Tobago. 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.