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 67.6% more expensive than Uruguay overall. A UYU3,014,975 salary in Uruguay would need to be roughly $93,204 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Albany averages 58°F vs 71°F in Montevideo, making it significantly cooler.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

What to expect for your wallet after moving from Uruguay to New York.

What does your salary buy?

UYU3,014,975 $93,204

To maintain the same standard of living in New York

Calculate with your salary →

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

Restaurants

pay 13.8% more

Groceries

pay 54.6% more

Transportation

pay 5.8% more

Housing

pay 2.2 times more

Childcare

pay 3.3 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 64.6% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 UYU = 0.0249 USD (June 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.

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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 The World Factbook, 2022

share of adults with obesity

UY
27.9%
NY
29.9%

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

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access The World Factbook, 2023

share of households with internet

UY
90.0%
NY
89.7%

Uruguay performs better than New York across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

UY
8.3%
NY
4.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

UY
$30,700
NY
$91,992

New York generally does better on employment & economy, though Uruguay leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

UY
78.4 yrs
NY
77.7 yrs

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

Data: The World Factbook

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

Albany Rain: 39.4 in/yr (1000 mm)
58° / 39°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Montevideo Albany
Jan–Mar 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C)
Apr–Jun 65°/50°F (19°/10°C) 68°/47°F (20°/8°C)
Jul–Sep 61°/46°F (16°/8°C) 78°/58°F (26°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Montevideo Albany
Jan 83°/64°F (28.4°/18.0°C) 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C)
Feb 82°/64°F (27.5°/17.9°C) 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C)
Mar 78°/61°F (25.5°/16.2°C) 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C)
Apr 72°/55°F (22.0°/12.9°C) 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C)
May 65°/50°F (18.6°/10.2°C) 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C)
Jun 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.7°C) 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C)
Jul 59°/45°F (15.0°/7.2°C) 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C)
Aug 61°/46°F (16.2°/7.8°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C)
Sep 64°/48°F (18.0°/9.1°C) 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C)
Oct 69°/53°F (20.5°/11.5°C) 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C)
Nov 75°/58°F (23.7°/14.2°C) 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C)
Dec 80°/61°F (26.5°/16.3°C) 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C)

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

Visitor Visa Requirements

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 24% 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 $23,301 in New York on a UYU3,014,975 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?

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

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

The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 71°F in Montevideo. Albany receives around 39.4 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 3,407,213 19,378,102
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