Montevideo Carnival 2027 dates
Hot off the press! The world’s longest carnival is in Montevideo Uruguay and we’ve got the dates.
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Is the cost of living in Uruguay really that high?
Known as the most expensive country in Latin America and one of the most expensive in the world, the cost of living in Uruguay is not for the short of pocket. Whether you’re considering a move or simply curious about what Uruguay has to offer, this comprehensive overview covers everything from food to transportation, healthcare, education, consumer goods, services, and utilities, as of November 2024.
Food Eating out, getting takeout and buying high quality meat is cheaper than it would be in the UK or the US, whereas processed foods and produce can be more expensive.
Consumer goods and services Due to import taxes, clothing and electronics are much more expensive than abroad, but services tend to be cheaper.
Education Public education is free and widely available, whereas private education can go from affordable options for working class families to elite bilingual schools with thousand-dollar monthly tuitions.
Healthcare Uruguay’s health care system is significantly cheaper than many parts of the world for reasonable quality services.
Utilities We go into the cost of electricity, water and internet connections.
Transportation Having your own car in Uruguay is much more expensive than in most countries. Public transport is reasonably priced especially taxis and ride services.
In a future article we’ll look at the cost of rentals and housing.
Eating out or getting takeout in Uruguay is not an everyday thing for most locals; however, it is cheaper than it would be in the UK or the US:
Going out for drinks will set you back 10 USD for a glass of wine, 7 USD for a cocktail, and 6 for a pint of beer. An iced coffee in Starbucks is around 8 USD, and a simple latte with a pastry is around 6 USD in most local cafés.
Most of the produce consumed by Uruguayans is grown here. Every month, the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries publishes a list of the fruits and vegetables that are in season, so paying attention to what is harvested can help you save money. Checking out farmers’ markets is the go-to way to buy fresh and sometimes organic groceries for a fraction of the price seen in supermarkets.
Meat is the main player in Uruguayan cuisine, with a kilogram of grass-fed beef for around 10 USD in any butcher’s shop, a chicken for 8 USD, and a kilogram of wild-caught fish (think local species like hake or pejerrey) for 6 USD.
Many chain stores are present in the country.
Clothing A casual dress from Zara is 46 USD, a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans is 98 USD, a pair of Nike running shoes retails for around 115 USD and leather business shoes are the same price.
Electronics are between 1.5x to 2x the price they are retailed for in the US. A MacBook Air M1 is 1,300 USD, an iPhone 14 costs 1,100 USD, AirPods for 170 USD, and an Apple Watch for 500 USD. SONY photo equipment prices are the same or even cheaper than in the US.
White goods A washer-dryer goes for around 700 USD while a dishwasher is around 400 USD.
Hair and nails A haircut (for a woman) goes for around 10 USD. Highlights for around 35 USD, a blowout for 24 USD, and a nail appointment for 30 USD.
For an elite international school —think bilingual or even trilingual, IB, extracurricular activities, extensive facilities including pools and tennis courts— the range is around 7,500 USD a year for kindergarten, 9,500 USD a year for primary, and 10,500 USD a year for high school. Cheaper alternatives without as many perks can go for as little as 3,000 USD a year for kindergarten, 5,000 USD a year for elementary, and 6,000 USD a year for high school. For an in-depth look at the education system in Uruguay, read our article.
Public education is also an alternative, but most Uruguayans who have the means to do so will choose to pay for private education for their children.
University education This is not the case for university, where there is sometimes more prestige to attending state universities depending on the degree course. The public university (UdelaR) is free to attend in Uruguay.
FONASA or Fondo Nacional de Salud (National Healthcare Fund) is a system put in place so that all employees and pensioners are entitled to healthcare outside of the public health system. The public system, called ASSE or Administración de los Servicios de Salud del Estado (State Funded Healthcare Administration), is still free, but is reserved for those outside of these broad categories and does not provide the same standard of care as private alternatives.
Healthcare contributions payable by employees (employers also have to make a separate contribution) depending on your family situation:
Private healthcare
Most people join a ‘mutualista’ or private healthcare service. There is a monthly charge which can range from 80-500 USD per month depending on your provider. When you make a doctor’s visit or need medicine you have to pay an additional ‘ticket’ or payment.
Mutual healthcare provider fees depend on the mutualista but to give you an idea:
These prices may change depending on your plan and provider, but this is what an adult over 21 has in their basic plan in the biggest mutual healthcare provider in the country.
You can get most medicines over-the-counter, even antibiotics. Some exceptions to this are strong painkillers like opioids and psychiatric medication like benzodiazepines or SSRIs, which need to be prescribed by a specialist. You can buy without a prescription a 50-pill bottle of Tylenol for 13 USD, an inhaler for 22 USD, a 30-pill box of diabetes meds (metformin) for 27 USD, and hypertension meds (atorvastatin) for 16 USD. If you have a prescription, you can choose to buy in the hospital’s own pharmacy for a fraction of the price, or in a commercial pharmacy, you are entitled to a 20% discount showing your prescription signed by your doctor.
Water The cost of water is relatively low, with the standard being between 10 and 30 USD for domestic consumption. Some houses are connected to a natural gas network —but most aren’t. The monthly fee is 7 USD for the service and then 1.3 USD for every cubic metre consumed.
Electricity is the most expensive service, costing between 50 and 150 USD for domestic use. Air conditioning is commonplace in the country, so during the summer your bills may be higher if that’s the way you’re cooling off your space.
Internet connectivity is of the best in the world, and the price is surprisingly low for the speed and quality of the service. Unlimited 1000/300 Mbps optic fiber connection for your home is 100 USD a month, and it also includes streaming services and a landline phone.
Owning and running a car Having your own car in Uruguay is much more expensive than in most countries. A compact brand new car, think a Toyota hatchback, is around 15,000 USD. A more spacious hybrid sedan, like a Corolla, goes for 35,000 USD. Petrol (gas) is two dollars per litre, around eight dollars per gallon.
Public transport in Montevideo is frequent and cheap; a bus ticket is 1.3 USD, taxi fares start at 1.6 USD and then 1.7 USD per kilometre. Moving around Punta del Este using public transport is not as affordable. Taxi fares are between double and triple the price depending on the season, as prices in general rise during summer holidays, and buses are fewer and further between in the off-season.
A bus ticket from Montevideo to Punta del Este is 11 USD, and the same ride by car is 21 USD for petrol and 9 USD to pay for tolls on the highway. Domestic flights are expensive and infrequent, so they’re not even considered.
What else would you like to see the cost of? Let us know in the comments!
Montevideo Carnival 2027 dates
Hot off the press! The world’s longest carnival is in Montevideo Uruguay and we’ve got the dates.
Namasté — Vegetarian restaurant in Montevideo
Namasté is more than just a vegetarian restaurant in Montevideo. This colourful, family-run spot has been serving vegetarian and vegan food since 2008. And the food is only part of the experience. Come for a relaxed meal, stay for the atmosphere, the friendly service and the chance to slow down for a while.
Dance tango in Uruguay. Whether a complete newbie or you already dance, the tango scene in Montevideo is a great way to make friends.
Estancia Los Plátanos – Authentic 6th generation ranch
Venture into deep Uruguay to Estancia Los Platanos, a working ranch. Just 3 guestrooms—and there’s a gorgeous indoor pool.
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Ignacio Fuentes, RE/MAX – Recommended Montevideo realtor
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Estancia El Cangüé – Cattle & roses in Paysandú
Home to Uruguay’s biggest rose collection, this 200 year west Uruguay estancia is the perfect destination for outdoor adventure or a wedding.
Martín Pescador – Sierras ranch 1 hr from ocean
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Uruguay LGBT rights – A trailblazer for over a century
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TEFL Uruguay: new qualification for foreigners and Uruguayans to teach English abroad
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We interview foreigners in Uruguay who moved here from principally English-speaking countries so you can learn from their mistakes.
Electric vehicles Uruguay: how costly gas, a clean grid and zero tax made BYD king — and pulled in Tesla.
Magnus shares the reality of off-grid living in Uruguay: dodgy container homes, growing food, healthcare, education & the need for serious savings.
People regularly ask me if many Americans are moving to Uruguay and they’re always shocked at the numbers.
Living in Uruguay beach towns offers a slower lifestyle and affordable living. Ann and her partner left the US to start living in Uruguay.
We perused Reddit to find foreigners’ most asked questions about Uruguay and answer so you can decide if Uruguay is the Plan B you’re looking for.
15 responses
Bonjour
Nous venons en Uruguay pour un séjour de 4 mois.
Nous prévoyons de n’emporter que peu de vêtements et d’acheter sur place. Comment sont les prix de l’habillement de base ? ou, est-ce une bonne idée (vs avoir des sac a dos lourds) ?
Merci de votre retour
Bonjour,
Nous venons a mi janvier pour une durée de 4 mois.
Nous comptons ne pas prendre beaucoup de vêtements et nous équiper a Montevideo. Est-ce une bonne stratégie ? Les vêtements sont ils abordables ? Nous ne chercherons pas les marques, juste des vêtements de base : y a -t-il des magasins économiques ?
Merci de votre retour.
Et une tres bonne année a vous !
Patricia et Patrice
In Nederland is volgens het NIBUD de alimentatie voor 1 kind als volgt:
In een gemiddeld gezin met twee kinderen en een modaal inkomen kost een kind volgens het NIBUD per maand ongeveer € 400,-. Op basis van het TREMA rapport komt de alimentatie dan per kind uit op € 140,- per maand. Meestal liggen de bedragen voor kinderalimentatie tussen € 100,- en € 500,- per kind per maand.
Hoe veel zou je nodig hebben voor 1 kind.
Good day, how are you doing? I guess my question to you would be do you have a lifestyle where you can provide everything for your child for that amount of money? If you can, then you’re going to have a similar lifestyle in Uruguay and probably spend the same. But without knowing more about your specific case, very difficult to say, all the best Karen PS, if you’d like to dig into your specific case, you will find a consultation invaluable https://www.guruguay.com/private-consultations/
Cost of caring for pets is high on my list. Everything from food, toys and vet bills.
Hello, me and my husband are considering moving to Uruguay. ChatGPT provided and estimate of $39k USD / year for a couple to live in comfort. After reading some of the prices you posted in the article, I am unsure if the estimate is accurate, can provide your thoughts on the $39k USD / year? Thanks!
Hi Celina, without knowing about your lifestyle or where you’re looking at living it’s very hard to provide proper feedback. This is something our consultation clients normally go into detail about so they can get solid feedback. 39K would sound ok, but it depends on what ‘comfortable’ means to you. So… lots of questions 🙂 — Karen
I can only tell you what I spend for a family of 4 in a 4 bedroom house on the outskirts of Punta del Este. It is more expensive to live here now than it was in Florida, USA when I left 7 years ago. I just bought, from Macromercado:
24 oz peanut butter for USD15.00
1 gallon of chocolate milk USD14.33
1 gallon of apple juice USD 12.64
.65 gallons of orange and carrot juice for USD14.10
I spend over USD 250 a week on groceries plus USD 50 – USD 70 per week eating out.
To live an American lifestyle here, when I first came here 7 years ago it was about USD 3,000 – 3,250/mo. Now it is around USD 5,100 or more, depends on the month. Also, after I moved out of the house I own here I rented it for USD 2,800 per month so that is what you can budget for a house in this area.
Welcome to Uruguay. Bring your money you are going to need it because you can’t make it here.
Good day! How much does electricity cost in Uruguay per kWh for charging a car?
Eu tenho ficado bem confuso com as análises de custo de vida e impostos do Uruguai. Fui este ano ao nordeste do país e o custo foi bem menor do que estou encontrando em alguns blogs, do qual imagino ser mais baseado na capital dado que a maioria da população concentra lá.
Custo dos carros novos de USD15 mil mencionado aqui me parece similar ao Brasil, mas para os usados parecem ser de 35 a 120% mais caros pelo que vi nos marketplaces
Well, recently I read a survey of costs and the average for a total of the services you listed was SU $1000 per month and about the same for Brazil. I would think that is exceedingly reasonable if not cheap given the Medical costs here for services provided.
Hi James! As addressed in the article the total for services comes to well above 1000 UYU or 25 USD per month, I don’t know about Brazil but in Uruguay utilities are quite expensive, however, as you mentioned, medical costs are really affordable!
What about owningproperty/ mortgage payment vs renting
Hi Rima! Buying and renting will be addressed in a future article, however, both options are quite affordable, with a small one bedroom apartment in the neighbourhood of Cordón, near the centre of Montevideo, going for at least 100.000 USD and a three bedroom home for 300.000 USD. Rent for these properties would be around 500 USD and 1000 USD, respectively.
I totally disagree. You will not be living in a very nice place for that money. If you want to live a life that you are accustom to in the USA, you will have to pay much more in rent. You really think someone is going to rent you a USD300,000 house for USD 1,000 a month? Just look here: https://www.mercadolibre.com.uy/c/inmuebles#menu=categories