Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,466 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Scarborough outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,466

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,466 per month in Scarborough vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Scarborough $2,466
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $3,385 per month in Scarborough vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Scarborough $3,385
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $4,304 per month in Scarborough vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Scarborough $4,304
Montevideo $3,708

Scarborough costs about 39% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Scarborough and Montevideo sit above the global median – Scarborough by 83%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.49 CA$23.31

$15.16 UYU 609

8.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.2

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 CA$14.93

$14.65 UYU 588

-27.92%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.47

$4.46 UYU 179

-13.23%

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

$2.07 CA$2.92

$2.67 UYU 107

-22.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-31.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$4.83 UYU 194

29.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 CA$10.01

$3.80 UYU 152

86.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 CA$3.56

$1.36 UYU 54.8

84.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$2.87 UYU 115

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 CA$3.01

$1.75 UYU 70.2

21.71%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$4.68 UYU 188

-26.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 CA$12.63

$13.88 UYU 557

-35.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.01 CA$15.56

$11.98 UYU 481

-8.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 CA$17.77

$11.97 UYU 480

5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 CA$4.56

$2.78 UYU 111

15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$2.74 UYU 110

-55.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.79

$1.77 UYU 71.2

91.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.24 UYU 130

23.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-16.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.24

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$1.37 UYU 55.1

66.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-36.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.74 CA$19.43

$5.59 UYU 224

145.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 CA$18.03

$8.78 UYU 352

45.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.99

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-6.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$2.75 UYU 110

-8.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 CA$3.32

$1.53 UYU 61.5

53.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 CA$146

$74.3 UYU 2,980

39.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 CA$4.17

$1.91 UYU 76.7

54.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$0.40 UYU 16.18

215.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$10.33 UYU 415

106.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-43.19%

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

$27.5K CA$38.8K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

1.28%

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

$19.9K CA$28.1K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-45.21%

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

$141 CA$199

$188 UYU 7,557

-25.35%

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

$34.98 CA$49.45

$20.54 UYU 824

70.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$67.7

$44.81 UYU 1,798

6.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 CA$50.1

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-34.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.38 CA$50.0

$19.75 UYU 793

79.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.45 CA$17.60

$11.95 UYU 480

4.18%

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

$808 CA$1,142

$634 UYU 25.5K

27.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K CA$14.7K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-5.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.9

$102 UYU 4,099

-49.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.00 CA$55.1

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-32.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.4 CA$119

$127 UYU 5,079

-33.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$128 UYU 5,131

-19.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 CA$2,396

$719 UYU 28.8K

135.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 CA$1,898

$568 UYU 22.8K

136.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 CA$3,011

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

85.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 CA$2,454

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

69.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,564 CA$10.7K

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

122.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,121 CA$8,653

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

214.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,908 CA$4,111

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

133.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

5.74

-20.73%

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

Last update for Scarborough: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.3K 54.4%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 57.7% $774

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$323 13.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 2.6% $8.3

Eating Out

Scarborough

$269 10.9%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 9.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 13.5% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$125 5.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 48.9% $61

Getting Around

Scarborough

$122 5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 30.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$60 2.5%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 29.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,695 in Scarborough versus $719 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 134% higher in Scarborough, 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 $69.0 in Scarborough versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $332 – making Scarborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

17:26 5:26 PM

1 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

1,319,108 Capital

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scarborough Montevideo 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Scarborough is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,699 per month in Scarborough and $2,656 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 $808 per month in Scarborough and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Scarborough – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Scarborough at $2,466. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.