Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Montevideo

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Montevideo $3,750

Montreal costs about 10% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montreal and Montevideo sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$15.26 UYU 613

26.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$67.4 UYU 2,707

11.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$14.37 UYU 577

-26.03%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$4.64 UYU 186

-15.30%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.73 UYU 110

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-29.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$4.75 UYU 191

32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$3.67 UYU 147

95.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.38 UYU 55.4

60.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$2.77 UYU 111

10.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$1.69 UYU 67.7

73.96%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$4.52 UYU 182

-21.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$14.17 UYU 569

-6.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$12.07 UYU 485

-6.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$12.16 UYU 488

13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$2.87 UYU 115

18.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$2.75 UYU 110

-47.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$1.73 UYU 69.4

88.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$3.24 UYU 130

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-12.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.38 UYU 55.4

76.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-17.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$5.57 UYU 224

105.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$8.89 UYU 357

16.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.70 UYU 108

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.52 UYU 61.2

69.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

$73.7 UYU 2,958

4.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$1.82 UYU 73.3

78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.40 UYU 16.02

270.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$10.66 UYU 428

209.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-38.74%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

2.55%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-45.63%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$191 UYU 7,662

-60.11%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$20.40 UYU 819

70.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-3.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-46.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

$19.68 UYU 790

3.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$12.33 UYU 495

-9.08%

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

$505 CA$718

$613 UYU 24.6K

-17.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

44.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$103 UYU 4,128

-43.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$124 UYU 4,993

-25.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$130 UYU 5,207

-18.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$705 UYU 28.3K

75.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$575 UYU 23.1K

71.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

84.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

58.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

50.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

97.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

137.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

5.74

-22.30%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 41.6% $411

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 7.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 66.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 40% $53

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 14.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 53.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $705 in Montevideo. 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 138% higher in Montreal, 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:30 2:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Montevideo 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $2,720 in Montevideo. 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 $505 per month in Montreal and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Montreal, 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 Montreal at $2,003. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal 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, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.