Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Willemstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,022 in Willemstad, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Willemstad
Learn more

Willemstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Willemstad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$2,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Willemstad

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $2,022 in Willemstad, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Willemstad $2,022

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $3,076 in Willemstad, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Willemstad $3,076

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $4,130 in Willemstad, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Willemstad $4,130

Montevideo is about 10% cheaper than Willemstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Montevideo and Willemstad sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Willemstad by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$18.34 ANG 32.83

-16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$75.5 ANG 135

-10.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$11.33 ANG 20.29

26.83%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.61 ANG 6.46

28.53%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$3.01 ANG 5.39

-9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.80 ANG 3.22

16.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$5.57 ANG 9.96

-14.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$5.44 ANG 9.75

-32.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.96 ANG 3.51

-29.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.84 ANG 5.08

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$3.57 ANG 6.39

-52.66%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.21 ANG 7.53

7.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$16.87 ANG 30.19

-16.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$7.04 ANG 12.60

71.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$12.12 ANG 21.70

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$5.40 ANG 9.66

-46.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.12 ANG 5.58

-11.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$3.29 ANG 5.89

-47.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.80 ANG 6.79

-14.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.50 ANG 4.47

-17.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.95 ANG 3.49

6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.39 ANG 4.29

-42.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.85 ANG 5.10

-35.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$10.02 ANG 17.93

-44.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.48 ANG 22.33

-28.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.39 ANG 4.29

-4.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.35 ANG 4.20

14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$1.92 ANG 3.44

-20.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$22.17 ANG 39.68

-91.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.38 ANG 2.47

60.87%

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

$20.6K ANG 36.9K

78.31%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$271 ANG 486

-29.65%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$76.8 ANG 138

-73.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$65.1 ANG 117

-32.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$48.55 ANG 86.9

11.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$43.82 ANG 78.4

-55.09%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$11.96 ANG 21.41

3.09%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$323 ANG 578

89.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$12.4K ANG 22.2K

-11.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$103 ANG 185

-0.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$74.7 ANG 134

-24.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$160 ANG 287

-22.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$93.1 ANG 167

39.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$810 ANG 1,450

-12.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$643 ANG 1,151

-10.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,742 ANG 3,119

-34.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,221 ANG 2,186

-16.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$838 ANG 1,500

299.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$170 ANG 305

1041.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,279 ANG 2,289

-3.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.97

15.49%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Willemstad: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Willemstad

$643 32% 11.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Willemstad

$376 18.7% 13.1% $43

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Willemstad

$282 14% 4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Willemstad

$413 20.6% 61.8% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Willemstad

$194 9.7% 4.4% $8.2

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Willemstad

$30 * 1.5% 64.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Willemstad

$72 3.6% 8% $6.3

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 $810 in Willemstad. 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 4% higher in Willemstad, 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 $76.0 in Willemstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $376 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇼 Willemstad

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

140,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.499 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, 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 = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.499 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Willemstad 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Willemstad

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 Willemstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Willemstad is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $3,033 in Willemstad. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo and $76.0 in Willemstad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Willemstad, 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 Willemstad at $2,022. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Willemstad 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, Willemstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.