Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uruguay and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,637 in Uruguay, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Uruguay
Learn more

Uruguay Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,637

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uruguay and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Uruguay and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,637 in Uruguay versus $800 in China.

Uruguay $1,637
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Uruguay versus $1,266 in China.

Uruguay $2,486
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,335 in Uruguay versus $1,731 in China.

Uruguay $3,335
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Uruguay: monthly costs span $47.00 to $1,997, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Uruguay.

Living in Uruguay is roughly 104% more expensive than in China on average.

Uruguay (21% above) and China (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.11 UYU 687

$2.92 ¥19.50

485.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 UYU 2,169

$22.45 ¥150

140.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 UYU 496

$5.33 ¥35.65

131.71%

Cappuccino

$4.29 UYU 172

$3.04 ¥20.34

41.12%

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

$2.31 UYU 92.6

$0.48 ¥3.23

381.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 UYU 73.5

$0.30 ¥2.02

510.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 UYU 151

$1.07 ¥7.12

251.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$2.26 ¥15.11

68.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 UYU 48.76

$1.75 ¥11.70

-30.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 UYU 103

$1.62 ¥10.80

58.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 UYU 66.8

$0.99 ¥6.63

67.68%

Eggs

$4.21 UYU 169

$1.56 ¥10.44

169.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 UYU 521

$13.25 ¥88.6

-2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 UYU 424

$3.37 ¥22.50

213.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 UYU 457

$11.39 ¥76.2

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 UYU 111

$1.82 ¥12.19

51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 UYU 103

$1.25 ¥8.34

104.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 UYU 62.2

$1.55 ¥10.39

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 UYU 123

$1.28 ¥8.55

139.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 UYU 73.1

$0.71 ¥4.72

156.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.86 ¥5.75

147.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 UYU 52.8

$0.65 ¥4.36

103.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 UYU 72.7

$0.59 ¥3.97

206.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 UYU 219

$3.76 ¥25.14

44.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 UYU 295

$11.76 ¥78.6

-37.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 UYU 86.6

$0.91 ¥6.11

137.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 UYU 112

$1.62 ¥10.86

72.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.31 ¥2.10

345.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 UYU 3,051

$22.75 ¥152

234.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.2

$1.52 ¥10.17

19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 UYU 67.1

$0.37 ¥2.50

351.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.49 UYU 421

$7.28 ¥48.66

44.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.0

$1.25 ¥8.38

69.60%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$19.4K ¥129.7K

37.95%

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

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

117.42%

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

$150 UYU 6,028

$55.5 ¥371

170.66%

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

$20.75 UYU 833

$8.29 ¥55.4

150.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.71 UYU 1,634

$10.97 ¥73.3

271.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.61 UYU 1,871

$40.38 ¥270

15.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 UYU 770

$14.76 ¥98.7

30.01%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 UYU 446

$6.76 ¥45.18

64.35%

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

$575 UYU 23.1K

$465 ¥3,108

23.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,169 UYU 368.0K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-53.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 UYU 3,431

$46.32 ¥310

84.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.89 UYU 2,003

$36.30 ¥243

37.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 UYU 4,820

$76.3 ¥510

57.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 UYU 4,432

$78.8 ¥527

40.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 UYU 26.6K

$396 ¥2,646

67.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 UYU 21.1K

$240 ¥1,604

119.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 UYU 43.3K

$822 ¥5,499

31.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 UYU 34.9K

$466 ¥3,116

86.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,313 UYU 133.0K

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-27.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 UYU 72.5K

$2,282 ¥15.3K

-20.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 UYU 42.8K

$1,075 ¥7,188

-0.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

3.46

67.92%

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

Last update for Uruguay: October 18, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uruguay

$526 32.1%

China

$240 30% 54.4% $286

Groceries & Markets

Uruguay

$306 18.7%

China

$209 26.1% 31.7% $97

Eating Out

Uruguay

$268 16.4%

China

$89 11.1% 66.9% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uruguay

$212 12.9%

China

$75 9.3% 64.7% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Uruguay

$165 10.1%

China

$107 13.4% 35% $58

Getting Around

Uruguay

$92 5.6%

China

$27 3.4% 70.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Uruguay

$69 4.2%

China

$54 6.7% 21.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $337 in Uruguay, $299 in China. Capital cities: $713 in Montevideo vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $864 in Uruguay, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 13% higher in Uruguay.

Dining out costs 119% more in Uruguay.

Public transport is 31% more expensive in China.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Uruguay

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

21:19 9:19 PM

11 h ahead of Uruguay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,444,263

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Between locations

Uruguay China 19,160 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Uruguay
China

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

Uruguay vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $1,637 in Uruguay, there's a 104% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $337 in Uruguay and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Uruguay it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Uruguay may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.