Living in Uruguay – Uruguay job opportunities in your 20s?

Moving to Uruguay

K: So you said you were invited here by a tech company?

Z: Yeah, I was invited here by a tech company. I was like, okay, why not? I was living in Russia and I had a lot of friends from South America, and I wanted to see how life is here. So I took the opportunity. I flew here, and unfortunately, around two days after I came, war started in Russia. I thought to myself “Now I really have to stay here a couple of months”. And once I got to know Uruguay more, the more I stayed here, the more I kind of liked Uruguay. Ultimately I fell for Uruguay and decided to stay here.

K: How did the company find you?

Z: They found me on LinkedIn. I wanted to work online, because I was doing my Masters, and I was contacted by a Uruguayan tech company. We had some back and forth and I started working for them online while also continuing my studies in Russia. Ultimately, the opportunity came and they wanted to invite me here. So I accepted the offer, froze my semester in Russia, flew here and then the rest was history.

K: The tech industry here, obviously, is booming. Uruguay is the largest exporter of software in Latin America, so I assume that there are lots of job opportunities in Uruguay?

Z: Yeah, especially in the field of AI, because they are always looking for people. Uruguay is one of the biggest providers of tech support and many companies from the US like to work with people from Uruguay for many reasons. First, Uruguayan workers are technically sound, they’re good researchers, there’s a lot of conferences happening here. Secondly, because of the time zone, similar to Eastern US. And third, there are tax free zones in Uruguay, so foreign companies buy local companies, and with the local companies also come the local employees, so it’s kind of easier for them, and they get their offices in a tax free zone, so it’s like a win-win situation for them. Foreign companies don’t have to pay US salaries, but they still pay better than the rest of the local companies, and it’s kind of nice to provide people an opportunity to work remotely as well. Job opportunities in Uruguay are not that many unless you’re in a sector in demand, but the conditions are great.

Learning Spanish in Uruguay

K: Do you socialise in Spanish?

Z: If I have to.

K: So, are you able to get by without speaking much Spanish?

Z: In the first year, I relied on friends and Google Translate. But over time, I started catching up. If you live in a place long enough, you eventually learn.

K: In your work, what language is used commonly? Because most people that work in your company, I’m sure are Uruguayans, right?

Z: Not really, because we have people from many different countries. We have people from, mostly from the United States, then India, Brazil, Uruguay. So I have people from Uruguay in my company, but I mostly interact with people from the United States. So for example, my manager and the clients, they’re all from the United States. I only go to the office every two months or so because I work remotely. But working at a Uruguayan company pushed me to speak Spanish. I’d try chatting in Spanish with my coworkers, and they were always teaching me slang and street phrases, which was fun. What really helped was talking in Spanish with international students. At events for exchange students, I found it easier to understand people from different countries because of their accents. When Uruguayans speak, it’s a bit tougher.

K: So you find the accent difficult?

Z: Yes. I mean, if somebody’s like talking to me directly and not talking super fast, then I understand it. But if I’m in a group, and we have like, a couple of beers down, and then they are talking in the group, like, you know, having a conversation, then sometimes I get lost.

K: But with a couple of beers down, you’re probably a bit more fluent in Spanish anyway, aren’t you?

Z: Yeah, that’s true! My Spanish is on another level when I’m drunk!

A typical week for a guy in his 20s in Uruguay

K: Would you share what your typical week looks like? Can you take us through, like, the kind of things you do, maybe what you eat, and it’s always helpful to know what you spend.

Z: I have my food situation sorted out. It’s not that I lack time to cook, but I tell people, “I’m a busy person. Life in AI and tech is just crazy,” which isn’t entirely true. My typical workday starts around 9:30 or 10 AM because I have flexible hours working remotely for a US-based company. I wake up just in time for my meetings, then have breakfast, shower, and get ready for the day.

This approach might seem unusual, but I’m a lazy person, and I found Uruguay to be a perfect fit because it’s the only place I’ve found people lazier than me. When I moved here, I had no idea how to cook Pakistani dishes. In Russia, I cooked occasionally with friends, but I was usually just giving pointers. So, when I arrived in Uruguay, I started looking for Indian restaurants, since Indian food is similar to Pakistani food.

I called several Indian restaurants, asking if they offered monthly deals for lunch and dinner deliveries. Most were intrigued by the idea and hadn’t been asked before. I found an Indian group where families would cook meals and send them through Uber. One family, excited about the idea, got back to me within an hour with a full plan and pricing, which was cheaper than buying food outside. The food was similar to my own, so I was really happy. I made a deal with them for about a year and a half until the family moved to the States. They assured me they had found another family to take over the business, and now I enjoy food from different parts of India, as the new family cooks Northern Indian cuisine while the previous one was from the South.

K: What else is going on in your week?

Z: I focus intensely on work for about two hours before lunch. After lunch, I attend more meetings or handle other tasks. Once my work is done, I hit the gym, followed by music lessons—either at music school or playing guitar and writing songs at home. Some days I box, attend free Tango lessons, or visit the Teatro Solís for musical events. In the evening, I often have dinner with friends, go out to chill, play pool, or hang out with people in my co-living space.

At night, I like to read a bit and call my family in Pakistan since it’s morning there. This pretty much sums up my workday. On weekends, I don’t plan anything and just let things flow.

K: A lot of people think that Uruguay is not a place for somebody like yourself who’s in their 20s. It’s a great place, definitely for people with families and retired people. But you’re breaking the mold here. You’re saying that you’ve got a really active social life.

Z: It depends. I’ve always been involved in various activities. Here, I do music, attend music school, play on a badminton team, and go to a boxing gym and a regular gym. I also play in a band and meet friends through various social circles and past colleagues. Living in a co-living space helps too. You just need to have activities where you meet people to have an active social life, that way it’s easy to connect with people and make friends.

Cost of living

K: Where do you live in Uruguay, do you rent?

Z: No, actually, I live in a co-living. Like, when I came to Uruguay, this is the first time I heard about the concept of co-living. It’s not a hostel, it’s not a hotel, it’s something in the middle. So basically, it’s like a building where everybody has their own studios or apartments, and then you have the shared spaces, like, the kitchen, the gaming area, a gym, a spa, my co-living even has a swimming pool on the rooftop.

K: Can you give us an idea of how much it costs? A range maybe?

Z: It depends. I think the cheapest room that’s available is 1000 USD and something, and then it goes all the way up to 3000 USD if you want the most luxury, one with the view and your you know, like balcony and three rooms and with a view. That includes all the services, the cleaning, which is weekly, so they come to change the bed sheets, they do everything. For a lazy person like me, it was a perfect place to stay.

Job opportunities in Uruguay and salaries

K: Uruguay is an expensive country, and you’re in a privileged sector with decent salaries. We agreed that it shouldn’t be assumed that moving to Uruguay is easy just because getting residency is. What advice would you give to someone your age thinking about moving here?

Z: I understand why you ask. Many students my age, especially from developing countries, like to travel and think they can work and teach to earn a decent income. That works in countries like Australia or Canada with higher wages. In Uruguay, the minimum salary is around 600 USD, which barely covers rent. Unless you’re highly skilled in fields like tech or medical, it’s tough.

If you’re not one of those, and you’re just getting started as a student, and you don’t have the financial support already handled, then it’s not the best place to come and explore the opportunities, because doing odd jobs here won’t help much. For someone my age, who is thinking of coming to Uruguay to try their luck, I wouldn’t recommend it, because of the cost of living and how tough the job market is.

Uruguay work environment

K: In tech companies worldwide, there’s usually a sense of intensity. But you’re saying it’s more laid-back in Uruguay? Job opportunities in Uruguay offer a better environment?

Z: Yeah, Uruguay is the only place where I find people as laid-back as me, especially at work. They take things slowly and have a lot of meetings before starting work. When I came from Russia, the culture was very different. In Innopolis, a Russian tech hub, everything was fast-paced, with driverless cars and robots delivering pizzas back in 2017. Meetings were scheduled in five-minute blocks, and people wouldn’t wait more than a couple of minutes. So, arriving in Uruguay was a good shock. My first meeting, everyone joined 10 minutes late, I was a bit confused. I was like, maybe the meeting was canceled or something? But they were just joining the meeting at their own pace, which was actually reasonable for here. We spent the first 20 minutes talking about football and the weather, and only discussed work in the last 10 minutes. I love this environment. I’ve adapted some Uruguayan ways in my work with the US team, telling them we need to calm down and take things slowly. I’m most productive when I’m tranquilo, and they understand because the work gets done, so they don’t complain.

Life in Uruguay – the pros and the cons

K: Fair enough. I wanted to ask you about the things that have surprised you about Uruguay. You’ve already mentioned a few. Any others you’d like to add?

Z: Sure. The first thing that surprised me was the prices. Uruguay is expensive, and many of my friends from Europe—Germany, Spain—have also complained about it. I never expected it to be so pricey. Aside from that, I love the pace of life here. It’s slower, and people take their time, which was a pleasant surprise. The culture is different from what you see in Latin movies. Uruguay and Argentina’s culture is closer to European culture, which I find interesting. And of course, I was pleasantly surprised by asados.

K: What about other things? Besides the high cost of living, what has been not so great?

Z: Sometimes dealing with paperwork in government offices is a hassle. When I was applying for my residency and ID, the process was very manual and slow, with long queues and hours of waiting. It was surprising how non-digital the process still is. Every time I had an appointment, I would take a day off because it would eventually take up to five hours.

K: So, the red tape?

Z: Yeah, exactly. Other than that and the cost of living, I really enjoy Uruguay and can’t think of many negative aspects.