Moving to Australia from Uruguay

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Uruguay to Australia — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Uruguay to Australia, you would find that Australia is 42.3% more expensive than Uruguay overall. A UYU3,000,000 salary in Uruguay would need to be roughly A$152,000 in Australia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Uruguay to Australia.

What does your salary buy?

UYU3,000,000 → A$152,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Australia

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 6.5% more

Groceries

pay 20.6% more

Transportation

pay 1.7% less

Housing

pay 92.0% more

Childcare

pay 3.1 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 47.0% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 UYU = 0.0356 AUD (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Australia cost about 24% more than cities in Uruguay.

Australia

Sydney 69%
Perth 64%
Melbourne 62%
Adelaide 60%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Uruguay to Australia, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
43 ↓ 22% vs 2022

people moved from Uruguay to Australia · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Australia?

Top countries of origin for Australia's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Uruguay and Australia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

UY
11.2
AU
0.8
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

UY
13.0
AU
4.5

Australia performs significantly better than Uruguay across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

UY
$3,135
AU
$7,691
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

UY
46.7
AU
40.9

Australia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Uruguay leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

UY
16.0
AU
10.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

UY
2.6t
AU
14.1t

Uruguay generally does better on environment, though Australia leads in air pollution deaths.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

UY
33.0
AU
36.5
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

UY
12.1%
AU
4.7%

Australia performs significantly better than Uruguay across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

UY
7.5%
AU
4.1%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

UY
$25,216
AU
$65,130

Australia generally does better on employment & economy, though Uruguay leads in top income tax rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

UY
78.3 yrs
AU
83.0 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

UY
6.2
AU
3.1

Australia performs significantly better than Uruguay across all family life metrics.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Dirección General Impositiva (2016), Australian Taxation Office (2016), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Montevideo Rain: 43.3 in/yr (1101 mm)
71° / 54°F

Avg. annual high / low

Canberra Rain: 24.8 in/yr (629 mm)
67° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Montevideo Canberra
Jan–Mar 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) 80°/54°F (26°/12°C)
Apr–Jun 65°/50°F (19°/10°C) 61°/39°F (16°/4°C)
Jul–Sep 61°/46°F (16°/8°C) 56°/35°F (13°/1°C)
Oct–Dec 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) 73°/47°F (23°/9°C)
View all months
Month Montevideo Canberra
Jan 83°/64°F (28.4°/18.0°C) 82°/55°F (27.7°/13.0°C)
Feb 82°/64°F (27.5°/17.9°C) 81°/55°F (27.0°/12.9°C)
Mar 78°/61°F (25.5°/16.2°C) 76°/51°F (24.4°/10.7°C)
Apr 72°/55°F (22.0°/12.9°C) 68°/44°F (19.8°/6.6°C)
May 65°/50°F (18.6°/10.2°C) 60°/38°F (15.4°/3.1°C)
Jun 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.7°C) 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C)
Jul 59°/45°F (15.0°/7.2°C) 52°/32°F (11.2°/-0.2°C)
Aug 61°/46°F (16.2°/7.8°C) 55°/34°F (12.9°/1.0°C)
Sep 64°/48°F (18.0°/9.1°C) 61°/38°F (16.0°/3.1°C)
Oct 69°/53°F (20.5°/11.5°C) 67°/43°F (19.2°/6.0°C)
Nov 75°/58°F (23.7°/14.2°C) 72°/47°F (22.4°/8.5°C)
Dec 80°/61°F (26.5°/16.3°C) 79°/52°F (26.0°/11.2°C)

Data: Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorologia Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorologia, Bureau of Meteorology Bureau of Meteorology

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Uruguay and Australia. To live, work, or study long-term in Australia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Australia's immigration authority.

Uruguay passport

Uruguay passport holder visiting Australia

Visa Required
Uruguay passport holders need a visa to enter Australia.
Australia passport

Australia passport holder visiting Uruguay

Visa Free
Australia passport holders can enter Uruguay without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Australia than Uruguay?

Day-to-day costs in Australia run about 42% higher than Uruguay on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Australia?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a UYU3,000,000 comparable salary, that's around A$38,000 in Australia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Australia?

With 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Australia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Uruguay and Australia.

Is Australia safe for expats?

Australia performs significantly better than Uruguay across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Australia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 11.2 in Uruguay.

How is healthcare in Australia compared to Uruguay?

Australia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Uruguay leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Australia, compared to 46.7 in Uruguay. Australia scores 87 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Uruguay: 82).

What's the weather like in Australia compared to Uruguay?

The average high temperature in Canberra is 67°F, compared to 71°F in Montevideo. Canberra receives around 24.8 in of rainfall per year, while Montevideo gets 43.3 in.

What language do they speak in Australia?

The official language in Australia is English. In Uruguay, the official language is Spanish.

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At a Glance

UY AU
Population 3,384,688 27,614,411
Currency Uruguayan Peso (UYU) Australian Dollar (A$)
Languages Spanish English
Driving side Right Left
Calling code +598 +61
Time zones 1 8
Emergency number 911 000