Exploring Uruguay

Expat & Travel Resource Guide

cost of living

The Value of the US Dollar vs the Uruguayan Peso

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We’ve mentioned in passing that the value of the US dollar has fallen significantly against the Uruguayan Peso since we moved here last May. It has fallen from about a 24:1 exchange rate to about a 19:1 exchange rate.

That’s pretty significant – it’s about a 25% drop in the last year, and that’s before you have even taken inflation into account…

So, the cost of living in Uruguay for US citizens has risen dramatically over the last year. When we arrived, our cost of living was around $1900 per month. Now we’re up to around $2400 per month (just our basic expenses).

I found this website where you can graph the change in value of 190 currencies, and it put it into even more perspective.

Here’s the change in value of the US dollar against the Uruguayan Peso in the last year:
Currency-value-1-year

And in the last five years:
Currency-value-5-years

When you’re making a decision to move abroad, it’s always a good idea to understand the trends in the currency’s value against the currency of your home country (where your income is coming from).

Right now, the value of the US Dollar against the Uruguayan Peso is the lowest it has been in about 2 years. But, if you look at the trend from the last 5 years, there is only one other dip this low. So, hopefully it will rise again before too long.

For US Citizens currently living in Uruguay, how has the fall of the value of the US Dollar affected you?

What U$S 15.75 Will Buy You…

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Since moving to Uruguay, we get all of our fruits and vegetables, and some of our meat and other household items, at the weekly ferias (open air markets) here in Montevideo. There is a smaller feria on Tuesdays and a larger one on Saturdays only a block from our apartment.

You can buy “anything” at these Markets. Jackets, makeup, hoodies, dvds, video games, hats, clothes, incense, art, food, furniture, toys, diapers, etc.

It’s nice to always have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We’ve been making homemade chicken stock to make delicious soups and stews every week with the vegetables.

Just to give you an idea of how far the US dollar goes in Uruguay when it comes to food…

Earlier this week, for U$S 15.75, we got:

24 farm fresh eggs
4 pears
4 apples
3 limes
1 head of lettuce
1 large leek
20 jumbo strawberries
1 large Broccoli crown
4 large red bell peppers
2 giant carrots
2 large zucchinis
2 large tomatoes
3 onions

And, on a smaller trip to the Uruguay feria, for 280 Uruguayan pesos (U$S 12) we got:

24 farm fresh eggs
2 giant carrots
4 large tomatoes
2 ears of corn
1 head of purple cabbage
2 large red bell peppers
1 package of fresh Brussels sprouts
2 large zucchinis
3 apples
½ kilo. strawberries
2 red potatoes
1 garlic bulb

Not too bad… There are ferias all around Montevideo, some better than others… some cheaper than others. We live in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Montevideo (Pocitos)… So our feria is probably a little more expensive than the ferias outside of our neighborhood.