After years of reasonable stability, the Uruguay peso weakened significantly against the dollar in the last week. It’s not great news for your average Uruguayan, but if you have US dollars to spend, then you’re going to find that they are going to go much further than in previous years.
The exchange rate at the time of writing is 42 Uruguayan pesos to the US dollar.
Here is an unscientific list to give you an idea what you are likely to spend while on holiday in Montevideo. Prices in the interior are lower the further north you go. Prices at certain beach resorts will be (significantly) higher during high season.
What eating out costs in Uruguay
- Main course 280-750 pesos
- Dessert 150-300 pesos
- A cup of coffee 60-140 pesos
- A glass of wine 120-150 pesos
- A pint of craft beer 140-200 pesos
These prices are typical of any number of great little lunch-time restaurants with gourmand intentions at affordable prices.
Epicureans can delight that top end restaurants have pricing that is pretty similar. I’ve had readers from New York tell me that they would have paid five times the price for similar offerings in their home town.
Budget travellers should note that cheap restaurants are not much cheaper.
[Article first published: May 1, 2017, last updated at the date above]
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I have lived in Uruguay off and on since 2006 …. it is VERY expensive to live there ! A Used car that would cost $ 500 in U. S. Will cost you $5000! If you want a regular McDonald’s hamburger … it will cost you $2.50 … compared to the $ .99. – $1.29 in US And forget buying gas at almost $8.00 a gal !
Oh and I had to buy a queen size mattress … I got a regular foam mattress covered in a thin material ( that lasted 6 months ) and it cost $300 dollars …. the same one in the States would cost maybe $60 !
Hi Linda, the focus of my article is for holiday-makers so I didn’t look at the price of cars and household goods. Totally agree that comparatively Uruguay is more expensive – and that you really have to fork out for quality. The US is really very cheap for most stuff – I come from the UK and all the things you quote would be more expensive there. And then perhaps some things should really cost more (for the survival of the planet) and are cheaper than they should be. What I like about Uruguay (looking for the good side 🙂 ) is that people are much less consumerist, even if it is forced, rather than by choice!
Hi Linda, thank you for the useful tips and your effort for this amazing page! I just wondering about 1+1 apartment prices for sale ( aprx) ! You have any idea more or less about the costs? Does not matter an old one as long as in a safe and social area. Thank you so much. Take care.
Hi Cagatay, departments can cost any amount, depending on what you want. But to give you an idea, a studio apartment in a new building in a nice neighbourhood could cost anything from 90,000 USD. Hope that helps, Karen
HI lInda –
Do you have any spa recomendations? How much do facials and massages cosy comapred to the US?
Hi Jill, that’s a great question. Unfortunately I don’t have any answers. Do you use Facebook? If so, I’d recommend you take your question to our Discover Uruguay group. I’m sure there someone will have some up to date info for you. Best, Karen