Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,388 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,388

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,388 per month in Ottawa vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ottawa $2,388
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,474 per month in Ottawa vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ottawa $3,474
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,559 per month in Ottawa vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ottawa $4,559
Montevideo $3,750

Ottawa costs about 32% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ottawa and Montevideo sit above the global median – Ottawa by 78%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.59 CA$26.49

$15.26 UYU 613

21.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 CA$110

$67.4 UYU 2,711

14.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 CA$15.12

$14.37 UYU 578

-26.24%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.61

$4.64 UYU 187

-15.09%

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

$2.01 CA$2.87

$2.73 UYU 110

-26.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.53

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-14.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.94

$4.75 UYU 191

17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.19 CA$8.82

$3.67 UYU 147

68.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 CA$3.27

$1.38 UYU 55.5

65.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 CA$4.42

$2.77 UYU 112

11.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.69 UYU 67.8

89.94%

Eggs

$3.47 CA$4.95

$4.52 UYU 182

-23.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$14.17 UYU 570

-26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 CA$15.91

$12.07 UYU 485

-7.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 CA$25.20

$12.16 UYU 489

45.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 CA$5.36

$2.87 UYU 116

31.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$2.75 UYU 110

-49.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.37

$1.73 UYU 69.5

117.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 CA$5.05

$3.24 UYU 130

9.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.78

$2.07 UYU 83.1

28.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$2.07 UYU 83.1

16.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 CA$3.76

$1.38 UYU 55.4

90.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.27

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-14.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.49 CA$20.65

$5.57 UYU 224

160.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 CA$16.82

$8.89 UYU 357

32.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.72

$2.29 UYU 92.2

13.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 CA$4.69

$2.70 UYU 109

21.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 CA$3.94

$1.52 UYU 61.3

82.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 CA$134

$73.7 UYU 2,962

27.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.88

$1.82 UYU 73.4

49.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 CA$2.15

$0.40 UYU 16.05

277.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.16 CA$27.31

$10.66 UYU 429

79.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.71

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-45.95%

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

$27.8K CA$39.7K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

4.05%

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

$21.1K CA$30.0K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-42.67%

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

$136 CA$194

$191 UYU 7,674

-28.67%

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

$36.63 CA$52.2

$20.40 UYU 820

79.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 CA$71.8

$44.14 UYU 1,775

14.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.79 CA$65.3

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-15.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.77 CA$39.59

$19.68 UYU 791

41.11%

Cinema Ticket

$12.82 CA$18.28

$12.33 UYU 496

3.97%

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

$913 CA$1,301

$613 UYU 24.7K

48.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$23.0K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

46.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.2 CA$87.3

$103 UYU 4,134

-40.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.63 CA$55.1

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-31.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$151

$124 UYU 5,000

-14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.6 CA$139

$130 UYU 5,214

-24.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 CA$2,124

$705 UYU 28.4K

111.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 CA$1,719

$575 UYU 23.1K

109.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,204 CA$3,141

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

93.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 CA$2,617

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

80.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,287 CA$6,111

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

28.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,457 CA$6,353

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

129.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,712 CA$5,292

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

202.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

5.74

-27.87%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.2%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 52.3% $630

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$366 15.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 9.3% $34

Eating Out

Ottawa

$283 11.8%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 4.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$223 9.3%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 14.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$137 5.7%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 36.1% $49

Getting Around

Ottawa

$115 4.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 27.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$71 3%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 10.3% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,490 in Ottawa 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 202% higher in Ottawa, 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 $77.0 in Ottawa versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

00:53 12:53 AM

1 h ahead of Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ottawa Montevideo 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
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

Ottawa vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ottawa is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,582 per month in Ottawa 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 $913 per month in Ottawa 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 10% more in Ottawa, 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 Ottawa at $2,388. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ottawa 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, Ottawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.