Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,832 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,832

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,832 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $2,832
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $4,395 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $2,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $4,395
Montevideo $2,784

A family of three spends $5,958 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $3,797 in Montevideo, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $5,958
Montevideo $3,797

Surfers Paradise costs about 60% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Surfers Paradise and Montevideo sit above the global median – Surfers Paradise by 108%, Montevideo by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$24.70

$15.63 UYU 628

11.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 A$147

$69.9 UYU 2,811

47.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.62

$14.51 UYU 583

-24.33%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.85

$4.43 UYU 178

-7.22%

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

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.49 UYU 100

12.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 A$3.45

$1.95 UYU 78.4

24.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.00

$4.78 UYU 192

61.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.73 A$10.99

$3.67 UYU 148

110.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.33

$1.26 UYU 50.6

30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.98 UYU 120

-11.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.43

$1.74 UYU 70.0

38.51%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$4.80 UYU 193

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 A$12.71

$14.06 UYU 565

-36.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 A$13.35

$11.35 UYU 456

-17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 A$20.65

$12.16 UYU 489

19.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.40

$2.74 UYU 110

38.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.28

$2.83 UYU 114

6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.84

$1.63 UYU 65.4

108.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.78

$3.18 UYU 128

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.03

$2.02 UYU 81.1

40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.51

$2.13 UYU 85.5

15.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.27

$1.39 UYU 55.9

65.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 A$2.87

$1.94 UYU 78.2

4.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.26 A$55.8

$5.34 UYU 215

635.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 A$20.05

$8.31 UYU 334

69.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.01 A$8.55

$2.35 UYU 94.3

155.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.04

$2.80 UYU 113

76.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$1.55 UYU 62.4

-76.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 A$3.02

$1.91 UYU 76.8

10.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$0.41 UYU 16.54

287.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.52 A$51.9

$10.38 UYU 417

251.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$2.23 UYU 89.5

-38.57%

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

$29.3K A$41.6K

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

10.25%

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

$25.6K A$36.5K

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

-28.50%

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

$214 A$305

$184 UYU 7,388

16.47%

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

$30.45 A$43.31

$20.15 UYU 810

51.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.1

$43.24 UYU 1,738

31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 A$97.1

$48.47 UYU 1,948

40.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.88 A$21.16

$19.71 UYU 792

-24.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 A$19.71

$12.11 UYU 487

14.45%

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

$1,999 A$2,843

$636 UYU 25.6K

214.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.1K

$11.0K UYU 441.9K

15.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.9 A$118

$101 UYU 4,048

-17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 A$77.7

$56.9 UYU 2,288

-3.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$123 UYU 4,934

-10.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$130 UYU 5,238

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 A$2,752

$747 UYU 30.0K

158.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 A$2,248

$581 UYU 23.3K

172.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,857 A$5,486

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

200.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,066 A$4,361

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

172.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,860 A$8,335

$3,653 UYU 146.8K

60.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,823 A$6,859

$2,029 UYU 81.5K

137.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,221 A$4,581

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

150.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.65

2.83%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 27, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.8%

Montevideo

$581 32.8% 63.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Surfers Paradise

$379 13.4%

Montevideo

$330 18.6% 12.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surfers Paradise

$302 10.7%

Montevideo

$247 14% 18% $54

Eating Out

Surfers Paradise

$296 10.5%

Montevideo

$271 15.3% 8.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9%

Montevideo

$185 10.4% 11% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Surfers Paradise

$96 3.4%

Montevideo

$73 4.1% 24.3% $23

Getting Around

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4%

Montevideo

$85 4.8% 639% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,935 in Surfers Paradise versus $747 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 in Surfers Paradise are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Surfers Paradise versus $70 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $330 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

13 h behind Surfers Paradise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,668

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 40.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.85 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surfers Paradise Montevideo 12,360 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Surfers Paradise
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

Surfers Paradise vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surfers Paradise is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,248 per month in Surfers Paradise and $2,657 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $747 there versus $1,935 in Surfers Paradise.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Surfers Paradise and $70 in Montevideo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Surfers Paradise, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Surfers Paradise at $2,832. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surfers Paradise 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surfers Paradise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.