Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Harbour and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $998 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $998 per month in Old Harbour vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Old Harbour $998
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Old Harbour vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Old Harbour $1,652
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Old Harbour vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Old Harbour $2,305
Montevideo $3,708

Old Harbour is about 44% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Old Harbour sits 26% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 JMD 2,138

$15.16 UYU 609

-10.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

7.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 JMD 1,253

$14.65 UYU 588

-45.87%

Cappuccino

$5.24 JMD 828

$4.46 UYU 179

17.49%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$2.67 UYU 107

-55.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 JMD 115

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-63.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$4.83 UYU 194

-55.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$3.80 UYU 152

-16.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.03 JMD 636

$1.36 UYU 54.8

196.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$2.87 UYU 115

31.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-9.14%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$4.68 UYU 188

-25.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 JMD 1,783

$13.88 UYU 557

-18.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$11.98 UYU 481

-46.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,628

$11.97 UYU 480

-13.95%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 963

$2.78 UYU 111

119.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$2.74 UYU 110

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$1.77 UYU 71.2

320.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$3.24 UYU 130

-5.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 519

$1.97 UYU 79.2

66.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$2.07 UYU 83.1

30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 479

$1.37 UYU 55.1

121.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-22.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 JMD 1,459

$5.59 UYU 224

65.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,803

$8.78 UYU 352

29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$2.26 UYU 90.9

23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 JMD 633

$2.75 UYU 110

45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-39.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 486

$0.40 UYU 16.18

667.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.13 JMD 968

$10.33 UYU 415

-40.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-30.99%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

65.19%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-9.50%

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

$164 JMD 26.0K

$188 UYU 7,557

-12.76%

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

$29.43 JMD 4,650

$20.54 UYU 824

43.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,374

$44.81 UYU 1,798

18.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 JMD 2,062

$11.95 UYU 480

9.21%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$634 UYU 25.5K

-43.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-24.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 JMD 3,710

$102 UYU 4,099

-77.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 JMD 5,053

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-44.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$127 UYU 5,079

-39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$128 UYU 5,131

-18.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.74

64.63%

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

Last update for Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Old Harbour

$383 38.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 13.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Harbour

$247 24.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 2.8% $6.9

Eating Out

Old Harbour

$220 22%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 22.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Old Harbour

$106 10.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 75.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 198% $52

Getting Around

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 410% $68

Accommodation & Living

Old Harbour

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

2 h ahead of Old Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,024

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 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 JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Old Harbour Montevideo 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Old Harbour
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

Old Harbour vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,497 per month in Old Harbour and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Old Harbour, where all-in costs run around $998, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Old Harbour it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Old Harbour – 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 Old Harbour. 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.