Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St John and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in St John: $315 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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St John

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$315

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $315 per month in St John vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

St John $315
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $928 per month in St John vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

St John $928
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $1,540 per month in St John vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

St John $1,540
Montevideo $3,750

St John is about 83% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St John sits 77% below the global median, while Montevideo is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 $20.15

$15.26 UYU 613

32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$174 $174

$67.4 UYU 2,711

157.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

Cappuccino

$7.10 $7.10

$4.64 UYU 187

53.02%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$2.73 UYU 110

10.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.75 UYU 191

71.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.67 UYU 147

119.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-29.28%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

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

$191 UYU 7,674

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

$20.40 UYU 820

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K $13.4K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

21.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.9K $12.9K

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

284.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,080 $5,080

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

313.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.05

5.74

22.82%

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

Last update for St John: 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

St John

–

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Groceries & Markets

St John

–

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Eating Out

St John

–

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St John

–

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Clothing & Footwear

St John

–

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Getting Around

St John

–

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

St John

–

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 313% higher in St John, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $174 in St John versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Use this as a proxy for overall food spending across the two cities.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St John

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h ahead of St John

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,743

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St John Montevideo 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

St John
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

St John vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 476%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $472 per month in St John and $2,720 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $315 in St John and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 476%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $174 in St John and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in St John, where all-in costs run around $315, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In St John it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St John – 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 St John. 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.