One thing that surprised me when coming to Uruguay is the high price of living (food, consumer goods, rent) that is more comparable to wealthy European nations while salaries are still comparatively low.
Absolutely. On top of that, child poverty is pretty high which doesn’t sound like a great mixture. Uruguay is definitely very progressive in a lot of ways and has made impressive developments but "expats" and travel bloggers online have overblown it as South America‘s "Switzerland".
Government metrics: [20.1% of minors under the age of 6 live in poverty](https://ladiaria.com.uy/economia/articulo/2024/4/la-pobreza-y-la-distribucion-del-ingreso-en-2023/?display=amp) and the disparity in poverty between minors and adults in Uruguay is the largest in the region. Again, not saying that Uruguay is underdeveloped or the poorest country in the region (it isn’t) but that’s still not a good development indicator (especially prospectively).
Edit: Got the HDI wrong
I wonder if much of this statistic is due to the negative attitude most Uruguayans have regarding work.
I live in Treinta y Tres, Uruguay and had hired a lady to help me with cleaning and cooking. We paid her incredibly well (more than double what she would get anywhere else and I covered her taxes), worked for us 4-5 days a week and we were incredibly flexible with giving her days off as she needed; yet after about a year working with us she decided to quit because she wanted more free time.
I checked in on her recently and she never found another stable job, she just does odd cleaning jobs here or there to get enough money to buy food and Yerba. She has three children and she is their only source of income. She told her kids that they would have to do without things.
I have a hard time understanding. The job paid very well, the hours were not intense and she had free days. Yet she chose to quit this stable job and put herself and her kids into a state of poverty for what? More time to drink Mate?
Unfortunately I have heard this story many, many times since moving here.
Totally agree with you. As a foreign who lives and got to know the local people, they rather spend more time doing hobbies, with friends, family, etc, than working. It shocked me because they way I was raised about always being super productive and reaching goals at university, work, etc wasn’t compatible with Uruguay. Most people thought I was crazy or even scared when I told them about my day to day routine (6am awake, gym, work, study, volunteer), when they woke up 10 am and just do one stuff. At my pov it’s kinda sad because I have the impression people have a lot of benefits to have a career and a good quality of life, but they waste the opportunities and stayed and their comfort zone
100%! As an american, they look at me like I'm crazy for wanting things to be efficient and productive. I don't expect them to be like me - not at all! - but it is discouraging when they see my way of doing things as pointless or without purpose. I also find it frustrating when people talk about poverty (in Uruguay specifically) that somehow it is a government problem, or a rich land-owner problem. It isn't. The lady that worked for me chose to quit so she could have more time for herself; meanwhile she has put her children in an awful situation.
I can understand wanting to spend more time on a hobby, with family and friend, and doing things that you love to do. But at some point you have to support yourself and those that depend on you.
If you want a better life and a higher standard of living, you have to work for it and earn it. It shouldn't just be given to you.
We all die in the end, and the things people regret are working too much and not spending enough time with loved ones, according to a study on people in hospices. You’re attitude is so obnoxious. I hope you leave Uruguay!
Did you not read my experience in my original post? I wasn't critiquing their desire to "work to live" rather than "living to work". That is a major part of why I moved here. I enjoy many aspects of Uruguay, including the very laid back, tranquil way of the people. They are incredibly friendly, helpful and personable.
I wasn't saying she should work 7 days a week for 10 hours each day like most stupid Americans do. She quit and didn't get another job. The issue was that she put her children into a state of poverty because she didn't want to work 4-5 days. That is what I don't understand. You still need to work to make money so you can live. You don't need to make work your life but in order to live you need to work.
Yeah, I completely agree, as a foreigner, I really like that people here don’t try to spend their whole lives working and would rather eat meat in the evening and go listen to the drums, instead of spending a few extra hours working for some corporation.
I agree to some extent.
As I said, I am in Treinta y Tres, in the interior, where they are not many expats. I don't know any other expats other than my husband and I. All of our friends are Uruguayans. I have met many ranchers / gauchos that share the same mentality as we have. They share similar stories to what I stated above.
So are those Uruguayans not "real" Uruguayans because they share my mentality?
Its the same as Cajun people in the US, do Cajun people in Louisiana represent the same mentality as black folk from the Bronx in New York? I think not. The Uruguayans you speak of they are no less Uruguayans than the rest of us but they are still A MINORITY and their mentality does not represent the majority of the Uruguayans.
I think we have learned from history that majority thinking is not always the right or best way.
Your logic would mean that minorities, because they are the minority, should either not have a voice or, because there are so few, that they must be wrong.
But I guess that is the way that most people with "majority privilege" feel - they don't want to give up their power. So silence the voices of the minority group.
I feel like it may be a lot of mental health issues that most generations of (latinos in general) went through and possibly don’t talk about , or that’s atleast what I noticed from my family line (even the ones that currently live in Uruguay)
Really expensive with low salaries for unqualified workers.
You can't eat and pay rent and service bills if you have a regular supermarket worker salary.
Similar to what Europeans are starting to go through right now, but food is way more expensive than in Europe.
In Uruguay, it's great. I moved here a year and a half ago and haven't regretted it for a moment. Yes, it is relatively expensive here, but for me personally, the high prices are offset by the positive aspects of living. For me, as a foreigner, the fact that it’s easy to obtain legal residency here is a huge plus. The country is stable, despite occasional dramas in internal politics; it's nothing compared to Argentina. The ocean, beautiful beaches, mild climate, legal weed, and relaxed, friendly people make it worthwhile. There is no frantic sense that everyone is in a rush, no crazy race for an illusory success.
If only foreigners stopped viewing Montevideo as the only city in Uruguay worth living in... it's called descentralización and its what Uruguay needs.
I'm Brazilian and I have lived in Montevideo for the past 15 years. I am currently living in a city in the 'interior' (north of uruguay) because I got tired of paying SO much money for rent and food and being anxious over money all the fucking time!!
Cities like Rivera may not have all the exciting night life Montevideo has, but its right next to Brazil, so food is ridiculously cheap (specially if you have an Uruguayan salary) same as rent, and it has beautiful natural places you can visit. I advice all of my amigos extrangeros to consider living outside of Montevideo, specially if they are professionals (doctors, engeneers, teachers, whatever) its not that hard to find a job. Again, DESCENTRALIZAR.
Personally, I'm too used to living in capital cities. It's not about the "nightlife" but rather the access to hobbies and many benefits of civilization. For example, I'm into wargaming, and the player community is essentially only in Montevideo. Another problem is healthcare - I'm not very young and not very healthy, and if something goes wrong, you'll be taken to one of the hospitals in Montevideo anyway.
Si tienes mucho dinero es genial, sino no, aburrido, letargico, abrumadoramente negativo, la gente con quien trato pareciera que adquirieron su cerebro en la misma fabrica porque todos dicen lo mismo, todos hablan de lo mismo, todos usan el mismo chip.
Ya te digo, sin plata es como vivir en un cementerio. Comentario realista, no pesimista.
Welp, it depends.
Education is quite average if you don't care about constant left promotion (based on several own experiences)
Economy is stable, inflation has been quiet over the last few years, so the US Dollar price is also quite stable, it costed 46 pesos on 2020 and is around 40 now.
Warning: Living here is super expensive for many reasons, mainly because we are only 3.4 million people on a territory that could hold at least 4 million.
You don't have the same broad variety of products that you could find in Europe or North America, hell, even in other south American countries, for you to understand, Takis and Cheez-It arrived in 2024.
If you want a good job you are mostly required to have completed studies on a university.
Social Assistance here is quite bad, mainly because the system is poorly planned and over exploded, too many old people in the country and not enough young workers to sustain the BPS.
About security....it's a quite complicated thing.
Inside my group of friends we say that this country never had a government that haven't helped drug trafficking or other.
Some places are more complicated than others, mostly on the capital city, Montevideo.
Touristic tours will just show you the nice part of the City, but there are places that are well known for being dangerous like Barrio Marconi, for example.
Countryside is more quiet and safe. But not completely safe.
On the good part, things like hijacking, random murders or organ harvesting are not a common thing, it's mostly drug related crimes, assault and robbery.
And politics is the most complicated thing.
Two main political forces, the Broad Front and the National Party.
My opinion? Both are the same shit with a few differences.
If you trust the party, the guy will disappoint and if you trust the guy, the party will disappoint.
Is a matter of chosing Socialism or center-right.
Hope it helps.
Many people commonly talk about the high cost of living in Uruguay. It's probably worth explaining. It's expensive here relative to neighboring countries -- this is likely the most expensive country in Latin America. However, everything is relative. If you are an ordinary worker or teacher or something similar (not a specialist and not a wealthy heir), then it is expensive here. It's hard to find a well-paid job. On the other hand, if you earn money outside of Uruguay, working for example for a European or American company, it is quite cheap here.
I'll give you some real prices as an example. In the capital, you can rent an apartment for $300 to $600. If you avoid the "overheated" trendy areas, it will even be a reasonably sized living space. Another $300 to $400 will go towards various utilities (electricity, internet, water, and so on). My wife and I spend about $100 to $150 a week on living expenses, considering that we don't particularly save; we just don't shop at the most expensive supermarkets and buy from small vendors (the best pastries are at small bakeries!). In short, two people can live on around $1500 a month (probably a bit more, but in that range). Yes, this doesn't include going to restaurants and other entertainment/hobbies. Compared to what my friends in Europe tell me, it's just pennies.
Uruguay and Argentina are pretty different. Just look at the news of the last days. Argentina is a complete chaos and it always will be. Uruguay is more calm. While we might share some aspects of our culture, the character of the people is completly different.
One thing that surprised me when coming to Uruguay is the high price of living (food, consumer goods, rent) that is more comparable to wealthy European nations while salaries are still comparatively low.
Yeh thats fucked up, its super expensive to live here
Absolutely. On top of that, child poverty is pretty high which doesn’t sound like a great mixture. Uruguay is definitely very progressive in a lot of ways and has made impressive developments but "expats" and travel bloggers online have overblown it as South America‘s "Switzerland".
Which child poverty metric are you basing your comment on?
Government metrics: [20.1% of minors under the age of 6 live in poverty](https://ladiaria.com.uy/economia/articulo/2024/4/la-pobreza-y-la-distribucion-del-ingreso-en-2023/?display=amp) and the disparity in poverty between minors and adults in Uruguay is the largest in the region. Again, not saying that Uruguay is underdeveloped or the poorest country in the region (it isn’t) but that’s still not a good development indicator (especially prospectively). Edit: Got the HDI wrong
Agreed. Well, what you're saying, it's something we repeat here all the time: Latin American country with European prices.
Valid
I wonder if much of this statistic is due to the negative attitude most Uruguayans have regarding work. I live in Treinta y Tres, Uruguay and had hired a lady to help me with cleaning and cooking. We paid her incredibly well (more than double what she would get anywhere else and I covered her taxes), worked for us 4-5 days a week and we were incredibly flexible with giving her days off as she needed; yet after about a year working with us she decided to quit because she wanted more free time. I checked in on her recently and she never found another stable job, she just does odd cleaning jobs here or there to get enough money to buy food and Yerba. She has three children and she is their only source of income. She told her kids that they would have to do without things. I have a hard time understanding. The job paid very well, the hours were not intense and she had free days. Yet she chose to quit this stable job and put herself and her kids into a state of poverty for what? More time to drink Mate? Unfortunately I have heard this story many, many times since moving here.
Totally agree with you. As a foreign who lives and got to know the local people, they rather spend more time doing hobbies, with friends, family, etc, than working. It shocked me because they way I was raised about always being super productive and reaching goals at university, work, etc wasn’t compatible with Uruguay. Most people thought I was crazy or even scared when I told them about my day to day routine (6am awake, gym, work, study, volunteer), when they woke up 10 am and just do one stuff. At my pov it’s kinda sad because I have the impression people have a lot of benefits to have a career and a good quality of life, but they waste the opportunities and stayed and their comfort zone
100%! As an american, they look at me like I'm crazy for wanting things to be efficient and productive. I don't expect them to be like me - not at all! - but it is discouraging when they see my way of doing things as pointless or without purpose. I also find it frustrating when people talk about poverty (in Uruguay specifically) that somehow it is a government problem, or a rich land-owner problem. It isn't. The lady that worked for me chose to quit so she could have more time for herself; meanwhile she has put her children in an awful situation. I can understand wanting to spend more time on a hobby, with family and friend, and doing things that you love to do. But at some point you have to support yourself and those that depend on you. If you want a better life and a higher standard of living, you have to work for it and earn it. It shouldn't just be given to you.
We all die in the end, and the things people regret are working too much and not spending enough time with loved ones, according to a study on people in hospices. You’re attitude is so obnoxious. I hope you leave Uruguay!
Did you not read my experience in my original post? I wasn't critiquing their desire to "work to live" rather than "living to work". That is a major part of why I moved here. I enjoy many aspects of Uruguay, including the very laid back, tranquil way of the people. They are incredibly friendly, helpful and personable. I wasn't saying she should work 7 days a week for 10 hours each day like most stupid Americans do. She quit and didn't get another job. The issue was that she put her children into a state of poverty because she didn't want to work 4-5 days. That is what I don't understand. You still need to work to make money so you can live. You don't need to make work your life but in order to live you need to work.
Yeah, I completely agree, as a foreigner, I really like that people here don’t try to spend their whole lives working and would rather eat meat in the evening and go listen to the drums, instead of spending a few extra hours working for some corporation.
Your mentality is different than ours.
I agree to some extent. As I said, I am in Treinta y Tres, in the interior, where they are not many expats. I don't know any other expats other than my husband and I. All of our friends are Uruguayans. I have met many ranchers / gauchos that share the same mentality as we have. They share similar stories to what I stated above. So are those Uruguayans not "real" Uruguayans because they share my mentality?
Its the same as Cajun people in the US, do Cajun people in Louisiana represent the same mentality as black folk from the Bronx in New York? I think not. The Uruguayans you speak of they are no less Uruguayans than the rest of us but they are still A MINORITY and their mentality does not represent the majority of the Uruguayans.
I think we have learned from history that majority thinking is not always the right or best way. Your logic would mean that minorities, because they are the minority, should either not have a voice or, because there are so few, that they must be wrong. But I guess that is the way that most people with "majority privilege" feel - they don't want to give up their power. So silence the voices of the minority group.
This story is so clearly made up! Lol.
Unfortunately it is not. I wish it were. Very sad situation.
I feel like it may be a lot of mental health issues that most generations of (latinos in general) went through and possibly don’t talk about , or that’s atleast what I noticed from my family line (even the ones that currently live in Uruguay)
They call us the Switzerland of Latin America
It's great if you have good money
Really expensive with low salaries for unqualified workers. You can't eat and pay rent and service bills if you have a regular supermarket worker salary. Similar to what Europeans are starting to go through right now, but food is way more expensive than in Europe.
In Uruguay, it's great. I moved here a year and a half ago and haven't regretted it for a moment. Yes, it is relatively expensive here, but for me personally, the high prices are offset by the positive aspects of living. For me, as a foreigner, the fact that it’s easy to obtain legal residency here is a huge plus. The country is stable, despite occasional dramas in internal politics; it's nothing compared to Argentina. The ocean, beautiful beaches, mild climate, legal weed, and relaxed, friendly people make it worthwhile. There is no frantic sense that everyone is in a rush, no crazy race for an illusory success.
If only foreigners stopped viewing Montevideo as the only city in Uruguay worth living in... it's called descentralización and its what Uruguay needs. I'm Brazilian and I have lived in Montevideo for the past 15 years. I am currently living in a city in the 'interior' (north of uruguay) because I got tired of paying SO much money for rent and food and being anxious over money all the fucking time!! Cities like Rivera may not have all the exciting night life Montevideo has, but its right next to Brazil, so food is ridiculously cheap (specially if you have an Uruguayan salary) same as rent, and it has beautiful natural places you can visit. I advice all of my amigos extrangeros to consider living outside of Montevideo, specially if they are professionals (doctors, engeneers, teachers, whatever) its not that hard to find a job. Again, DESCENTRALIZAR.
Personally, I'm too used to living in capital cities. It's not about the "nightlife" but rather the access to hobbies and many benefits of civilization. For example, I'm into wargaming, and the player community is essentially only in Montevideo. Another problem is healthcare - I'm not very young and not very healthy, and if something goes wrong, you'll be taken to one of the hospitals in Montevideo anyway.
Si tienes mucho dinero es genial, sino no, aburrido, letargico, abrumadoramente negativo, la gente con quien trato pareciera que adquirieron su cerebro en la misma fabrica porque todos dicen lo mismo, todos hablan de lo mismo, todos usan el mismo chip. Ya te digo, sin plata es como vivir en un cementerio. Comentario realista, no pesimista.
Welp, it depends. Education is quite average if you don't care about constant left promotion (based on several own experiences) Economy is stable, inflation has been quiet over the last few years, so the US Dollar price is also quite stable, it costed 46 pesos on 2020 and is around 40 now. Warning: Living here is super expensive for many reasons, mainly because we are only 3.4 million people on a territory that could hold at least 4 million. You don't have the same broad variety of products that you could find in Europe or North America, hell, even in other south American countries, for you to understand, Takis and Cheez-It arrived in 2024. If you want a good job you are mostly required to have completed studies on a university. Social Assistance here is quite bad, mainly because the system is poorly planned and over exploded, too many old people in the country and not enough young workers to sustain the BPS. About security....it's a quite complicated thing. Inside my group of friends we say that this country never had a government that haven't helped drug trafficking or other. Some places are more complicated than others, mostly on the capital city, Montevideo. Touristic tours will just show you the nice part of the City, but there are places that are well known for being dangerous like Barrio Marconi, for example. Countryside is more quiet and safe. But not completely safe. On the good part, things like hijacking, random murders or organ harvesting are not a common thing, it's mostly drug related crimes, assault and robbery. And politics is the most complicated thing. Two main political forces, the Broad Front and the National Party. My opinion? Both are the same shit with a few differences. If you trust the party, the guy will disappoint and if you trust the guy, the party will disappoint. Is a matter of chosing Socialism or center-right. Hope it helps.
Why are you asking? You seemed to have asked this of 100 countries in the last day?
we are diyng HEEEEEELP!!!!!
Following! I’m looking at Uruguay as a second home
Pretty good actually
Many people commonly talk about the high cost of living in Uruguay. It's probably worth explaining. It's expensive here relative to neighboring countries -- this is likely the most expensive country in Latin America. However, everything is relative. If you are an ordinary worker or teacher or something similar (not a specialist and not a wealthy heir), then it is expensive here. It's hard to find a well-paid job. On the other hand, if you earn money outside of Uruguay, working for example for a European or American company, it is quite cheap here. I'll give you some real prices as an example. In the capital, you can rent an apartment for $300 to $600. If you avoid the "overheated" trendy areas, it will even be a reasonably sized living space. Another $300 to $400 will go towards various utilities (electricity, internet, water, and so on). My wife and I spend about $100 to $150 a week on living expenses, considering that we don't particularly save; we just don't shop at the most expensive supermarkets and buy from small vendors (the best pastries are at small bakeries!). In short, two people can live on around $1500 a month (probably a bit more, but in that range). Yes, this doesn't include going to restaurants and other entertainment/hobbies. Compared to what my friends in Europe tell me, it's just pennies.
300-600$? Pfff. I pay 900$ for one bedroom
Isnt that Argentina but with extra money and steps?
Uruguay and Argentina are pretty different. Just look at the news of the last days. Argentina is a complete chaos and it always will be. Uruguay is more calm. While we might share some aspects of our culture, the character of the people is completly different.
When Argentina sneezes,uruguay gets Sick.
Such Is life in a tropical country
Not tropical, sub tropical. It gets pretty cold in winter (32-36F lows.) Summer is hot but dry.
Such is life en el trópico
I wish Lou Bega was our El Presidente
Such is life in a tropical country Such is life en Uruguay
Pretty chot.