Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Waterloo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,248 in Waterloo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waterloo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
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Waterloo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Waterloo

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Waterloo

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $2,248 in Waterloo, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Waterloo $2,248

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $3,262 in Waterloo, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Waterloo $3,262

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $4,276 in Waterloo, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Waterloo $4,276

Montevideo is about 19% cheaper than Waterloo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Waterloo sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Waterloo by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$17.76 CA$25.31

-14.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$55.7 CA$79.3

21.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$9.93 CA$14.15

44.71%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.96 CA$4.21

56.76%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.92 CA$2.74

42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.30 CA$1.86

60.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$5.11 CA$7.28

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$5.74 CA$8.18

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.00 CA$2.84

-31.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.31 CA$3.29

19.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$2.40 CA$3.42

-29.58%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.82 CA$4.02

60.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$11.18 CA$15.94

26.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$15.25 CA$21.73

-20.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$16.01 CA$22.83

-24.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$3.53 CA$5.03

-18.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.17 CA$1.67

135.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$3.47 CA$4.95

-50.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.47 CA$4.95

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.36 CA$1.93

52.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.87 CA$2.66

10.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.65 CA$2.36

-16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.19 CA$1.70

55.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$12.75 CA$18.17

-56.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$9.81 CA$13.98

-9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.33 CA$3.33

-1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.75 CA$3.92

-1.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$2.57 CA$3.67

-40.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$69.5 CA$99.0

6.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$2.39 CA$3.41

-23.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.78 CA$2.54

-77.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$28.53 CA$40.67

-62.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.20 CA$1.71

85.00%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$27.6K CA$39.3K

-3.07%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$18.8K CA$26.8K

95.37%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$140 CA$200

35.88%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$28.89 CA$41.18

-29.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$45.13 CA$64.3

-2.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$36.75 CA$52.4

47.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$19.38 CA$27.62

1.55%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$11.56 CA$16.48

6.66%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$523 CA$746

17.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$16.2K CA$23.1K

-31.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$54.4 CA$77.6

88.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$30.22 CA$43.07

85.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$73.7 CA$105

68.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$71.2 CA$102

82.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$1,377 CA$1,963

-48.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$1,152 CA$1,643

-50.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$2,135 CA$3,043

-46.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,846 CA$2,631

-44.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$5,254 CA$7,489

-36.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$4,789 CA$6,826

-59.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$2,904 CA$4,139

-57.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

5.09

12.77%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Waterloo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Waterloo

$1.2K 51.9% 100% $577

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Waterloo

$343 15.5% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Waterloo

$257 11.6% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Waterloo

$214 9.7% 16% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Waterloo

$103 4.7% 44.4% $83

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Waterloo

$91 4.1% 9% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Waterloo

$60 2.7% 24% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $1,377 in Waterloo. 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 136% higher in Waterloo, 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 $56.0 in Waterloo. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $343 in Waterloo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇦 Waterloo

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

02:19 2:19 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

121,436

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Waterloo 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Waterloo

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 Waterloo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterloo is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $3,372 in Waterloo. 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 $613 per month in Montevideo and $523 in Waterloo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Waterloo, 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 $1,813, than in Waterloo at $2,248. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterloo 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, Waterloo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.