True costs of day to day life

Hi Sara,
I am Uruguayan...I do not want to be pesimist by I highly recomend you to visit the place first and after see what you think.
You are coming from Vancouver, one of the cities with highest quality of life in the world. I do not really understand why would you come here?

The weather here is only good sometimes during summer (Dec - March) but for example for the last week has not stopped raining...

The country is VERY expensive, there is nothing cheap here anymore. I will tell exactly what I pay for the items you mention below. I live with my GF in a one bedroom apartment in a nice area:

Monthly utilities: Apart from hiring the apt (consider minimum USD 700 per month) you have to pay a minimum of USD 100 monthly in Gastos Comunes which are shared costs to maintain the building where you live

Electricity: USD 75 per month

Food for two per month (buying in the supermarket or local ferias) : USD 300 per month with no luxuries

Cable/internet: USD 50 per month (both together)

Health care: USD 90 per person per month

Take into account that the an average salary here is less that USD 1000 per month. Without speaking fluent Spanish you will not be able to be hired in a Job, you will only be able to be self employed.

Please do not hesitate to ask me for further question / help.
I lived 7 years in Ireland and I am happy to be bacj because my familiy is here but this is not the First World and the life is very expensive

All the best from Uruguay
Mikael

Hi. Don't wanna be nosy but what I read about Uruguay is much more positive than the answer given by yussimik, with all due respect. I am brasilian and what we know here is that the living standards in our neighboring country is much better than ours. It is considered # one in low level of corruption in south america, education is free and high quality if compared to ours, heath is free to any one, It is 40th in Human Development Index. Its political party, the Frente Amplia is pretty much pro people and levels of violence are very low, again if compared to south american levels. So it might not be first one as yussimik said but it is certainly no latin america. Having said that, all changes in life require adaptation. But nothing comes for free, right?? My advice is, do some more research, como visit the country and last but not least, ask yourself why you wanna move.... know ourselves more and better is more important and comes first..
Best of luck

Uruguay definetely may have less problems than Brazil because is a very small country and things could get solved more quickly however for some reason there is a fashion outside our borders thinking that my country is something like a paradise and nothing could be further than the truth...just speak to Uruguayans and very few will agree with the good international reputation that the country earned for some reason...
Just to give you an example in my family: in only ONE month last October: my car was stolen, dissapeared. My aunt had robbers breaking into her 7th floor apt while she was sleeping and the shop of my girlfriend was robbed at gun point.
The security issues are getting more and more complicated and violent day by day.
Heath is free only for low income people and you would beg not to have to rely on the free services. For a good service you have to pay what I mentioned in my previous message.
The education is getting just worse and worse every day. You can not rely on free education for your kids. You have to pay private education about USD 600 per month per child for a good service.

Good things about Uruguay:
Politcal freedom
Low corruption
The law is "respected"

You have to ask yourself very seriously why would you like to come here and definetely visit and talk to LOCAL people
All the best from Uruguay
Mikael

Hi everyone.

As someone who has visited both Uruguay and Argentina (for weeks at a time), I consider UR my hoped for home. We happened to be there just before Fre Amplio won the election and loved the excitement in the air. Pepe is the kind of president I would/could support.

All of Latin America seems to see protecting one's home as a personal responsibility first. Hence most have metal security bars or roll-down shades. My take is that the police are not expected to protect your home before the fact, but to follow up if/when something does happen. In a way, it is a more sane response and keeps the police from becoming militarized (like in the US where I'm from).

The costs mentioned in other posts seem to be accurate.

We're looking to buy a home and have found liveable small homes online for US$ 80,000-125,000. Nothing fancy (but we're not fancy types  ). It's true that costs have increased a lot. However, all costs and levels of safety are relative. We were in Los Angeles CA US. We lived in a nicer neighborhood but could hear gunshots at night from 3 blocks away in a commercial district. Our public educational system is very broken (as a former teacher in that system). We also have a govt that is an international bully and war criminal. You can see why we would want a new home too. UR is not perfect, but it is a small country that is not aggressive toward anyone and takes care of its citizens instead of 'national interests'.

I believe UR is a good choice for what we view as a stable, politically progressive country.

Again, it's all relative. But to my mind, UR is an exceptional country.

Hi Sara,

Unfortunately I heard pretty much the same from German expats (whom I consider more objective) as 'yussimik' says... Crime could be surprisingly high. But the main point is that everybody says the same about jobs: not available and would pay very little anyway. Everybody who more or less successfully retires in Uruguay are exactly those: retirees with a fixed monthly pension check. Sorry to be so down, I too examined to go to Uruguay - doesn't seem realistic if you (still) need to make a living. Anyway, if you DO go for a visit, write an extensive report here of your findings; lot of people want to know. Good Luck!

TheOmegaMan is right there! We are retirees. It makes a whole world of difference.

In the MVD newspaper there are jobs advertised. For example Psychologist  pay was approx. $7.50 US per hour. Many jobs pay $5.00 - 6.00 US an hour. Many have restrictions such as gender and age range. I know Uruguayans who cannot find work as they are over 50 years old - even stacking shelves in the supermarket.

If you are not fluent in Spanish, you will have little to no ability to work here except if you are coming for a specific pre arranged job or are a young, experienced, qualified English teacher and even then the wages are low. I know people who are been asked to show $2000US income monthly for immigration recently.  We were asked for $1500US about three years ago.

Hopefully someone can tell me I am totally wrong about this and there are lots of good paying jobs for anyone who wants one, even those who speak no Spanish!

Right. Looking for a job is not the right approach in Uruguay (or anywhere else) in South America. What you guys need to find out is what kind of business, would be in demand? Its the only way to go, running your own business. So, lets hear some ideas.
On the other hand, if you have a US or EU passport, I don't think you need to worry about immigration, that thread is overblown on this forum. I'm pretty sure that with a US (or EU) passport you can just stay 6 months as you wish. So don't make 'immigration' an issue:)

Don't tell me, your sole source of information about Uruguay is International Living....

If you want to "enjoy the promising climate," try Ecuador. Weather an order of magnitude more pleasant and living expenses significantly less. Plumbers (sanitarios) are a dime a dozen here in Uruguay. Much of the plumbing has a faintly medieval feel to it, and to many it's apparently not really considered an area of expertise, just something that you do. The real estate market is pretty much a mess: that no multiple listings exist is just the tip of the iceberg.

"My take is that the police are not expected to protect your home before the fact, but to follow up if/when something does happen. In a way, it is a more sane response and keeps the police from becoming militarized"—non sequitur. 1) Do you have any evidence of any incident in the US when police have ever prevented a home crime? 2) Ironically, I've heard people (the ones who weren't being tortured or disappeared) talking about how safe it was under the military dictatorship here. Could leave the front door of your house wide open all day with no fear of crime.

"Everybody who more or less successfully retires in Uruguay are exactly those: retirees with a fixed monthly pension check."—people living off fixed incomes are going to be very unhappy soon, regardless of where they live, because those fixed incomes aren't really fixed, they're declining with the value of the currency.

FWIW, inflation in Uruguay seems to be running 10-15%/year.

While not blazing fast, internet in Uruguay is decent, and fiber optic pushing to every corner of the country, so there's no reason you couldn't run an internet-based business from here. The other possibilities lie in services for other gringos, but that's pretty thin gruel.

Yeah, in the US inflation is easily 20%+. Morbidity aside, retirees are prob. aware that they have about 20-22 years to enjoy the golden years, and if you and your wife get a decent monthly pension check, say, union or teachers' retirement plan, then it will stretch much further in Uruguay or Ecuador than in the US. The political tumult and violence spiraling out of control in the US is also a bigger and bigger factor. The new trend is that not just retirees, but people in the 30-s, 40-s are ready to leave for more peaceful shores, and this forum (supposed) to be a discussion how THEY can make it over there?

TheOmegaMan wrote:

The new trend is that not just retirees, but people in the 30-s, 40-s are ready to leave for more peaceful shores, and this forum (supposed) to be a discussion how THEY can make it over there?

No change to my previous comments.

yussimik wrote:

Just to give you an example in my family: in only ONE month last October: my car was stolen, dissapeared. My aunt had robbers breaking into her 7th floor apt while she was sleeping and the shop of my girlfriend was robbed at gun point.
The security issues are getting more and more complicated and violent day by day.

Hello yussimik,

I'm so sorry to read that. It must be really hard to face this all in just one month.

From a political/economic perspective, do you see things becoming any better?

I was reading a report on increased robberies in Uruguay, and unfortunately the rates went from 251.4 cases per 100,000 people in 2005 to 456 cases in 2011. The report can be read at:
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/rblac/d … iveSummary

Sadly, it's exactly the robberies that have the strongest impact on the overall safety feeling. They can have a very negative impact on quality of life, social interactions, use of public spaces, etc.,  which can drive further segregation and the very social processes that lead to yet more violence.

Can anyone tell me how life is in Maldonado? More specifically in Punta Del Leste. What are the opportunities to run a business there, say a restaurant, a small hostery or a Beautician clinic, nothing fancy, just a place where you can live and also have your business. Sadly everything I read in this forum is pretty pessimistic.

I see a lot of you guys talking bad things about Uruguay. Maybe you are right in some aspects but let me tell you a little about next Football World Cup host country. I work in downtown São Paulo, the richest city in South America some say.
Every morning I have to cross a place called São Bento square. Every day city hall washes the place with heavy cleaning products. Why? The smell of feces and urine is unbearable. It is the homeless public toilet. And I am not talking about some poor neighborhood. That is the old financial center of São Paulo, right in front of the stock market, the 5th stock exchange in the world. Do you have much of that down there in UR? Here in SP it is everywhere, really. Torture someone said?? Well, it is still our reality here. Police is violent and kills a lot and I mean a lot!!! Have you watched Police Squad I and II, the awarded Brazilian films?? Pure reality!!! In Rio, favelas and drug lords. At the beach the famous "arrastões", something like a mass mugging. They come in big groups and take whatever/whoever stands in their way. In SP we have the PCC, something like "Prime command of capital city". It was news the other day in a national magazine their plans to take over the country. They are pretty much like the FARCS. They are the organized crime taken to its highest level of sophistication. Anything similar down there?? Have you heard of the human microwaves?? They can bake a person alive if they want. They put you inside a pile of old tires. The rest is easy to figure out. Breaking in here?. Almost never without beating, torturing or killing the house owner. But that is ok because we have good politicians to take care of the population...Has anyone ever heard of the "Mensalão" a mass corruption scheme whose biggest participants are, guess what, part of the federal government. They will all stay very few days in jail...but if you are black and have the misfortune to be taken for a criminal you may rot in jail... for more than a decade.... Try to find good public medical care... some die on a strecher waiting for a doctor.... bad education you say... a great number of  schools here don't have seats for the students, or restrooms, or drinking water, or food...Ok, back to São Paulo... are you crossing the streets...better look both ways a dozen times... and don't trust traffic lights... you will get yourself killed at the blink of an eye...fellows, I could go on and on..sorry but I think you don't know what a bad country is. Apart from a few places in the world, mainly the ones with very little sun light, all the rest varies from ok to very bad. We have to see things for ourselves and strike a balance between what is perfect/ideal and what is possible/achievable.

Sounds very appealing, I'll be unpacking my bags now, thank you.

Lol!!!!! If you change your mind better get a good life insurance.....

We just returned to Uruguay after a three week vacation to New Zealand and Sydney, Australia.  My husband said he will no longer complain that Uruguay is expensive after the prices we had to pay in both those countries.

We are retired and own our house and car but I would not feel comfortable living here if we did not have at least $3,000 to $4,000 US in monthly income from pensions , investments etc.  It isn't that we spend that much but there are always unexpected costs, inflation, rising prices etc. to think about in the years to come.
I have friends who came here five or six years ago who feel they cannot afford it here anymore as there isn't any way for them to generate money here whereas in the US they could still find part time work.  They are thinking of going back to the US in the near future although I think they would love to be able to afford to live here.

Hi Glauco

I am also from Sao Paulo and I have just came back from a 2 years residence in Montevideo.
When compared to São Paulo, of course Montevideo is safer and cleaner, but you don't need to move so far to find peace of mind in your own country.
The problem is there is nothing to do in Montevideo. There is no job or opportunities. I was expat with a very high salary and lived in a brand new and very beautiful apartment in front of a lake and a golf field, so I was living much better than in Sao Paulo but nothing happens there!
There is no violence because there is no body in streets. The temperature is bellow 5 Celsius for more than 6 months of the year....
My daughter was studying at British School which is the best you can find in all Uruguay and the level of learning is really very low compared to the good schools of Sao Paulo.
She became the student number one in the first 6 months without haven speaked Spanish before she arrived in Uruguay and the English of the students which were there (British School) since they were babies were really very weak .
Uruguayan are normally very polite and have a much better education than the average Brazilian and you observe it every place you've in Uruguay.
In the other hand, they use to see Brazilians as rich people which comes to Uruguay to use them as employees paying a miserable salary and enjoy life without working hard as they do.
My life there was marked by loneliness as nobody never invited me to anything, only business dinners and similar stuffs, but no one have invited me to visit their homes and build a friendship.
The cost of life is higher than in Sao Paulo for the things you may find there.
Good restaurants you can go for a business lunch or dinner are two or three and nothing more. They good but they are few....
School tuition is cheaper than in Sao Paulo. British is US$1.000 against US2.000 for the same school in SP.
Restaurants you go with the family in the week end are normally more expensive than Sao Paulo.
The fuel is US$2 per liter against US$1.2 in SP.
The Internet speed is a joke, but the customer service is really much better than Brazil as you can always talk to some real person to explain your Internet speed problem by phone.
No lines, no traffic, no people and a lot of space is a remarkable vision I have from Montevideo, so imagine what happens when you go countryside.
I have been in a city Punta del Diablo in a Monday morning and spent 30 mind uses there and it was a ghost city!! None at the streets, no cars passing, jo digs or birds, nobody..... consequently no violence and no dirty.
I suppose there is no violence in the Moon also...
Anyway, it was a good experience for me and my family as we felt the differences on skin and now we know how much we like Brazil even with the problems we have here.
Uruguay é bom, mas é triste, e viver na tristeza não é bom.para ninguém....

Punta del Este is a ghost city for 9 months of the year.
Very Cold, with a lot of wind and absolutely nobody on streets . Shops and restaurants closed, etc...
If I am not wrong the population is around 30.000 people but as the city is big, the feeling is that this number is.much smaller.
On summer time this is fabulous with a lot of beautiful people on streets with their Ferrari, Lambourgini, BMW, Porsche, etc... only rich people, the majority of them from Argentina.
Forget about business there, but if you want scape and not be found by anyone, it will be a good place to spend your time during 9 months of the year.

São Paulo is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest in Brazil.It's not fair to use it as an example of Brazil in general ! I live in Austin Texas but would never compare Houston Texas .As an example on how it is to live in Texas !!!! I have traveled and stayed in many part of Brazil and I plan on buying a beach house near Fortaleza in the very near future!I was also married to a Brazilian. I have many friends that are expats living and loving it in Brazil!!!! I have also been to Uruguay.It's a nice country to visit but it's  very expensive .

HI,, for u have one idea ,, for two person u need usd 2000 month, if u want to travel and enjoy uruguay, this is the basic, depend de kind of travel u want do to.

Regards.
Sergio.

clsilva wrote:

I have been in a city Punta del Diablo in a Monday morning and spent 30 mind uses there and it was a ghost city!! No one at the streets, no cars passing... consequently no violence and no dirty.

I suppose there is no violence in the Moon also.

Well, what else would one expect on a weekday during off-season in a small beach town near the Brazil border with a population of 823, and named after the Devil, no less.

Besides, "30 mind uses" is not really a proper sample of time to judge a place like Punta del Diablo.

cccmedia

Hi.my name is Geirgi i am from Armenia.i would lije to move to Uruguay.could you tell me how you solved the problem with the income ??

georgiarakelyan wrote:

i am from Armenia.  i would like to move to Uruguay.  could you tell me how you solved the problem with the income ?

Only a small percentage of Expats actually "solve" the problem of income in South America.  Most are pensioners or arrive with existing income / savings from another place.

Some Expats have made money from teaching English -- often not a guaranteed big-money endeavor -- or assisting other Expats with visas or other tramités.  The latter typically requires an extensive knowledge of the rules and laws of Uruguay or whatever country .. and ability to speak el idioma.  Even if one's clients are English-speakers, Spanish is necessary to deal with bureaucracies too opaque for most Expats to confront successfully on their own.

Internet-based businesses, which theoretically can attract income worldwide, can be conducted from Uruguay.

As far as we know, the URU realtor known as focusproperties is solvent .. but we suspect he is bi-lingual, highly knowledgeable in his field and has applied himself persistently to promoting his business with a combination of chutzpah and panache.

The real-estate "consultant" who helped me find and go to contract on my condo apartment in Quito, Ecuador, charged me a buyer's fee of 8 percent.

cccmedia in Quito