Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waterloo and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,248 in Waterloo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Waterloo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Waterloo
Learn more

Waterloo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Waterloo

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,248

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,248 per month in Waterloo vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Waterloo $2,248
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,262 per month in Waterloo vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Waterloo $3,262
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,276 per month in Waterloo vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Waterloo $4,276
Montevideo $3,750

Waterloo costs about 24% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Waterloo and Montevideo sit above the global median – Waterloo by 68%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.31

$15.26 UYU 613

16.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 CA$79.3

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-17.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 CA$14.15

$14.37 UYU 578

-30.90%

Cappuccino

$2.96 CA$4.21

$4.64 UYU 187

-36.21%

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

$1.92 CA$2.74

$2.73 UYU 110

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 CA$1.86

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 CA$7.28

$4.75 UYU 191

7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.18

$3.67 UYU 147

56.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.84

$1.38 UYU 55.5

44.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.77 UYU 112

-16.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.42

$1.69 UYU 67.8

42.01%

Eggs

$2.82 CA$4.02

$4.52 UYU 182

-37.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 CA$15.94

$14.17 UYU 570

-21.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.25 CA$21.73

$12.07 UYU 485

26.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.01 CA$22.83

$12.16 UYU 489

31.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.87 UYU 116

23.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$2.75 UYU 110

-57.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.95

$1.73 UYU 69.5

100.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.95

$3.24 UYU 130

7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-34.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 CA$2.66

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-9.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 CA$2.36

$1.38 UYU 55.4

19.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 CA$1.70

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-35.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 CA$18.17

$5.57 UYU 224

128.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 CA$13.98

$8.89 UYU 357

10.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 CA$3.33

$2.29 UYU 92.2

1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$2.70 UYU 109

1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 CA$3.67

$1.52 UYU 61.3

69.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.5 CA$99.0

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-5.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 CA$3.41

$1.82 UYU 73.4

31.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.54

$0.40 UYU 16.05

345.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.53 CA$40.67

$10.66 UYU 429

167.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.71

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-45.95%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

3.17%

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

$18.8K CA$26.8K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-48.82%

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

$140 CA$200

$191 UYU 7,674

-26.40%

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

$28.89 CA$41.18

$20.40 UYU 820

41.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.13 CA$64.3

$44.14 UYU 1,775

2.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.75 CA$52.4

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-32.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.38 CA$27.62

$19.68 UYU 791

-1.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 CA$16.48

$12.33 UYU 496

-6.24%

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

$523 CA$746

$613 UYU 24.7K

-14.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.1K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

46.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 CA$77.6

$103 UYU 4,134

-47.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.22 CA$43.07

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-46.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 CA$105

$124 UYU 5,000

-40.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 CA$102

$130 UYU 5,214

-45.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 CA$1,963

$705 UYU 28.4K

95.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 CA$1,643

$575 UYU 23.1K

100.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,135 CA$3,043

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

87.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,846 CA$2,631

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

81.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,254 CA$7,489

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

56.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,789 CA$6,826

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

146.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,904 CA$4,139

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

136.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

5.74

-11.32%

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

Last update for Waterloo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waterloo

$1.2K 51.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 50.1% $577

Groceries & Markets

Waterloo

$343 15.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 3.1% $11

Eating Out

Waterloo

$257 11.6%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 5.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waterloo

$214 9.7%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 19.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Waterloo

$103 4.7%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 79.9% $83

Getting Around

Waterloo

$91 4.1%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 8.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Waterloo

$60 2.7%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 31.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,377 in Waterloo versus $705 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 136% higher in Waterloo, 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 $56.0 in Waterloo versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $343 in Waterloo vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Waterloo

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

00:08 12:08 AM

1 h ahead of Waterloo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,436

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Waterloo Montevideo 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Waterloo
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

Waterloo vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterloo is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,372 per month in Waterloo and $2,720 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 $523 per month in Waterloo and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Waterloo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Waterloo at $2,248. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterloo 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, Waterloo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.