Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,371 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Maldonado

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montreal and in Maldonado actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,371 in Maldonado.

Montreal $2,018
Maldonado $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Montreal $3,085
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,985 in Maldonado.

Montreal $4,152
Maldonado $2,985

Living in Montreal is roughly 47% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Maldonado 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$14.94 UYU 600

25.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$54.8 UYU 2,198

28.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$13.58 UYU 545

-21.50%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.61 UYU 185

-16.70%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.64 UYU 106

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.00 UYU 80.3

-23.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.96 UYU 119

110.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.61 UYU 145

96.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.16 UYU 46.70

99.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.74 UYU 110

14.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.69 UYU 68.0

89.94%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$4.14 UYU 166

-14.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$14.00 UYU 562

-8.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$11.83 UYU 475

-3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$11.89 UYU 477

12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.78 UYU 112

12.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.15 UYU 86.4

-33.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.77 UYU 71.1

96.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.20 UYU 129

-4.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.02 UYU 81.0

-5.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.09 UYU 84.1

-15.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.44 UYU 57.8

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.87 UYU 75.2

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.56 UYU 223

104.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$7.99 UYU 320

33.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.32 UYU 93.1

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.71 UYU 109

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.42 UYU 57.0

87.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$50.1 UYU 2,011

54.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.39 UYU 136

-5.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.41 UYU 16.27

260.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$9.89 UYU 397

232.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$2.14 UYU 85.8

-37.38%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

4.87%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$37.3K UYU 1.5M

-47.30%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$113 UYU 4,548

-32.97%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$19.05 UYU 765

78.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$44.11 UYU 1,770

-4.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$48.11 UYU 1,931

-38.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$30.02 UYU 1,205

-32.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.36 UYU 496

-9.79%

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

$507 CA$717

$488 UYU 19.6K

3.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$6,539 UYU 262.4K

145.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$90.5 UYU 3,632

-36.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$36.90 UYU 1,481

1.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$123 UYU 4,931

-25.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$120 UYU 4,796

-8.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$423 UYU 17.0K

198.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$318 UYU 12.8K

198.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$920 UYU 36.9K

132.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$590 UYU 23.7K

173.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,838 UYU 113.9K

74.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,546 UYU 62.0K

148.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$1,005 UYU 40.4K

181.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-10.40%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Maldonado

$318 23.2% 66.5% $630

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Maldonado

$321 23.4% 7.5% $26

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Maldonado

$256 18.7% 11% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Maldonado

$176 12.9% 15.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Maldonado

$166 12.1% 24.7% $33

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Maldonado

$61 4.5% 37.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Maldonado

$73 5.3% 39.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $423 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 181% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $321 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

62,592

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Maldonado 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Maldonado

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

Montreal vs Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Maldonado differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $1,371 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 181% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $423 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $488 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,371 in Maldonado versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Maldonado are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.