Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spanish Town and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $994 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 Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$994

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $994 per month in Spanish Town vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Spanish Town $994
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,895 per month in Spanish Town vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Spanish Town $1,895
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,796 per month in Spanish Town vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Spanish Town $2,796
Montevideo $3,708

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 JMD 2,094

$15.16 UYU 609

-12.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

7.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 JMD 1,265

$14.65 UYU 588

-45.32%

Cappuccino

$5.31 JMD 840

$4.46 UYU 179

19.06%

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

$1.14 JMD 179

$2.67 UYU 107

-57.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-63.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 JMD 355

$4.83 UYU 194

-53.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 JMD 483

$3.80 UYU 152

-19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.14 JMD 655

$1.36 UYU 54.8

204.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 JMD 594

$2.87 UYU 115

31.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 JMD 260

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-5.71%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 562

$4.68 UYU 188

-23.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 JMD 1,773

$13.88 UYU 557

-19.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$11.98 UYU 481

-46.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.21 JMD 1,614

$11.97 UYU 480

-14.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.16 JMD 973

$2.78 UYU 111

121.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.85 JMD 609

$2.74 UYU 110

40.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.38 JMD 1,166

$1.77 UYU 71.2

316.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 483

$3.24 UYU 130

-5.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 JMD 500

$1.97 UYU 79.2

60.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 JMD 336

$2.07 UYU 83.1

2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.09 JMD 489

$1.37 UYU 55.1

125.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 228

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-22.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.46 JMD 1,494

$5.59 UYU 224

69.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 JMD 1,769

$8.78 UYU 352

27.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$2.26 UYU 90.9

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 JMD 624

$2.75 UYU 110

43.64%

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 183

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-39.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 JMD 483

$0.40 UYU 16.18

662.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 JMD 981

$10.33 UYU 415

-39.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JMD 231

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-31.46%

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

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

61.99%

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

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-11.21%

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

$165 JMD 26.1K

$188 UYU 7,557

-12.16%

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

$29.30 JMD 4,629

$20.54 UYU 824

42.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 JMD 8,179

$44.81 UYU 1,798

15.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 JMD 2,047

$11.95 UYU 480

8.37%

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

$356 JMD 56.3K

$634 UYU 25.5K

-43.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,212 JMD 1.3M

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-25.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.80 JMD 3,760

$102 UYU 4,099

-76.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.13 JMD 4,918

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-45.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.3 JMD 12.1K

$127 UYU 5,079

-39.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 JMD 15.9K

$128 UYU 5,131

-21.46%

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)

$633 JMD 100.0K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-44.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 JMD 78.9K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-51.21%

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)

$1,155 JMD 182.5K

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-7.22%

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 Spanish Town: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Spanish Town

$382 38.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 13.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spanish Town

$246 24.8%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 2.9% $7.2

Eating Out

Spanish Town

$219 22%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 23.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Spanish Town

$104 10.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 78.8% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Spanish Town

$26 * 2.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 201% $52

Getting Around

Spanish Town

$16 * 1.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 413% $68

Accommodation & Living

Spanish Town

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 8% higher in Montevideo, 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 $74.0 in Spanish Town versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

2 h ahead of Spanish Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,056

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 18, 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 18, 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

Spanish Town Montevideo 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Spanish Town
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

Spanish Town vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,491 per month in Spanish Town 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 Spanish Town 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Spanish Town, where all-in costs run around $994, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Spanish Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Spanish Town – 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 Spanish Town. 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.