Moving to New York from Uruguay

moving to

What to Expect

Everything you need to know before relocating from Uruguay to New York — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.

If you moved from Uruguay to New York, you would find that New York is 69.3% more expensive than Uruguay overall. A UYU3,000,000 salary in Uruguay would need to be roughly $126,000 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.

Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓

Is New York cheaper than Uruguay?

Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day

Restaurants

pay 18.3% more

Groceries

pay 41.0% more

Transportation

pay 0.9% more

Housing

pay 2.8 times more

Childcare

pay 3.7 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 45.7% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 UYU = 0.0248 USD (November 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.

What salary do you need in New York?

What does your salary buy?

UYU3,000,000 → $126,000

To maintain the same standard of living in New York

Calculate with your salary →

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 New York cost about 50% more than cities in Uruguay.

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

How many people actually move from Uruguay to New York, based on official data.

Moved in 2023
860 ↑ 27% vs 2022

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

Who's moving to United States?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Uruguay to New York.

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate World Health Organization, 2024

share of adults with obesity

UY
35.0%
NY
29.9%

New York performs significantly better than Uruguay across all health & wellbeing metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access World Bank, 2024

share of households with internet

UY
92.0%
NY
89.7%

Uruguay performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

UY
7.5%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

UY
$25,216
NY
$91,992

New York performs significantly better than Uruguay across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

UY
78.3 yrs
NY
77.7 yrs

Uruguay performs better than New York across all family life metrics.

Weather in New York vs Uruguay

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

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

Avg. annual high / low

New York City Rain: 49.9 in/yr (1268 mm)
62° / 48°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Montevideo New York City
Jan–Mar 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) 43°/30°F (6°/-1°C)
Apr–Jun 65°/50°F (19°/10°C) 70°/54°F (21°/12°C)
Jul–Sep 61°/46°F (16°/8°C) 81°/66°F (27°/19°C)
Oct–Dec 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) 54°/41°F (12°/5°C)
View all months
Month Montevideo New York City
Jan 83°/64°F (28.4°/18.0°C) 38°/27°F (3.5°/-2.8°C)
Feb 82°/64°F (27.5°/17.9°C) 42°/29°F (5.3°/-1.7°C)
Mar 78°/61°F (25.5°/16.2°C) 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.8°C)
Apr 72°/55°F (22.0°/12.9°C) 61°/45°F (16.2°/7.1°C)
May 65°/50°F (18.6°/10.2°C) 71°/54°F (21.6°/12.2°C)
Jun 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.7°C) 79°/64°F (26.3°/17.6°C)
Jul 59°/45°F (15.0°/7.2°C) 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.4°C)
Aug 61°/46°F (16.2°/7.8°C) 83°/68°F (28.1°/19.9°C)
Sep 64°/48°F (18.0°/9.1°C) 75°/61°F (24.0°/16.0°C)
Oct 69°/53°F (20.5°/11.5°C) 64°/50°F (17.7°/10.0°C)
Nov 75°/58°F (23.7°/14.2°C) 54°/42°F (12.1°/5.3°C)
Dec 80°/61°F (26.5°/16.3°C) 43°/32°F (6.1°/0.0°C)

Data: Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorologia Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorologia, National Weather Service National Weather Service

Can you move from Uruguay to New York?

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

Uruguay passport

Uruguay passport holder visiting United States

Visa Required
Uruguay passport holders need a visa to enter United States.
United States passport

United States passport holder visiting Uruguay

Visa Free
United States 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 New York than Uruguay?

No — New York is on average about 69% more expensive than Uruguay. City-level variation matters.

How much money do I need to move to New York?

Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $31,500 in New York on a UYU3,000,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).

Can I work remotely from New York?

Usually fine from major cities in New York. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.

How is healthcare in New York compared to Uruguay?

New York performs significantly better than Uruguay across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in New York compared to Uruguay?

The average high temperature in New York City is 62°F, compared to 71°F in Montevideo. New York City receives around 49.9 in of rainfall per year, while Montevideo gets 43.3 in.

What language do they speak in New York?

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

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At a Glance

UY
Population 3,384,688 20,002,427
Currency Uruguayan Peso (UYU) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Spanish English
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +598 +1
Time zones 1 11
Emergency number 911 911