Country research
Uruguay
Prices overall are about 0.66 of United States prices at market exchange rates, and the Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Uruguay 43rd of 163. Remote workers paid from abroad can hold a provisional identity sheet for 180 days, renewable once, and people living on rents or a pension from abroad can apply for permanent residence with a notarial certificate of that income. [C1] [S1] [K1] [R1]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
45 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.658 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Uruguay. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
59 of 100Mixed
Montevideo, the main city: 8 comfortable months a year (January to May and October to December), measured at the Prado station. June to September are cooler than 18 °C on average.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Prado, Montevideo (WMO 86585). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
59 of 100Mixed
Global Peace Index 2026: 43rd of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
82 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 85 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
Unknown
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
85 of 100Strong
Strong: a residence route for remote workers exists (the provisional identity sheet for remote work, 180 days, renewable once) and fixed broadband is 33.04 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Decreto 394/009, article 8 (as reworded by Decreto 238/022): provisional identity sheet for remote work; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Uruguay. Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100Strong
Strong: people living on rents, a pension or retirement income from abroad can apply for permanent residence directly, with a notarial certificate of the income. The page prints no minimum amount, age or deposit. The route needs no waiting period before permanent status, which is better than the 'after a stated period' the test asks for.
Source: Residencia Legal - Permanente. Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
74 of 100Strong
33.04 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Uruguay. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
62 of 100Mixed
EF EPI score 542, between the 499 and 550 anchors. The page does not print its edition year.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index: Uruguay. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for NZ passports is being checked
Cities
Cities in Uruguay.
Each city page shows which figures are its own and which are the country's.
Topics
The detail on Uruguay.
Guides
Uruguay, by passport.
Each guide is written for citizens of one country.
Compare
Side by side with another country.
The same measures for both places, with no ranking.
Questions about Uruguay.
Do I need a visa to visit Uruguay with a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport?
DNM's admission list shows ordinary US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports as needing no visa. The regulation allows 90 days, renewable for 90 more, for non-residents in its visitor categories. Whether you can extend varies, so ask a Uruguayan consulate.
What is Uruguay's digital nomad permit, and how long does it last?
It is the provisional identity sheet for remote work (hoja de identidad provisoria): 180 days, renewable once for 180 more, so 360 at most. The first application asks for a passport copy and a sworn statement, and the fee is 55.71 UI, about UYU 371. DNM prints no income figure.
Can I apply for permanent residence in Uruguay, and what income does it ask for?
DNM says you can request permanent residence directly, without holding temporary residence first. It asks for a monthly income "sufficient for support", shown by a notarial certificate, and prints no figure, so the amount is not known. The fee is 557.30 UI, about UYU 3,715.
How much does it cost to live in Uruguay?
Prices overall are about 0.66 of US prices (World Bank, 2025), an average, not a budget. One-bedroom flats advertised in Montevideo on 15 October 2026 asked UYU 25,000 to 35,000 a month plus building charges of UYU 3,000 to 4,386. We found no sourced prices for other costs.
When would I count as a tax resident of Uruguay?
Uruguay's tax authority counts you as resident if you are there more than 183 days in a calendar year, or if your main base of activities or your economic or vital interests is there. A new-resident option from 2026 covers foreign investment income, not pay. Ask an accountant.
How safe is Uruguay, and what is healthcare like?
The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks Uruguay 43rd of 163, and WHO's service coverage index is 85 of 100 (2023). Canada advises a high degree of caution in Montevideo because of crime. These are country-level figures, not a measure of one neighbourhood. Cover prices are unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Uruguay, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 65.81 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Uruguay ranks 43rd of 163 countries (score 1.754); the report calls it the most peaceful country in South America.
- [K1] Decreto 394/009, article 8 (as reworded by Decreto 238/022): provisional identity sheet for remote work, Presidencia de la República Oriental del Uruguay (IMPO, official legal database). Checked 15 October 2026. Article 8: a foreigner who applies for temporary residence for under 180 days gets the Hoja de Identidad Provisoria, including (literal B) for working remotely from Uruguay for entities abroad; renewable once for another 180 days; after that the person may apply for the categories in articles 4 and 7. Decreto 238/022 (4 August 2022) reworded article 8.
- [R1] Residencia Legal - Permanente, Ministerio del Interior, Dirección Nacional de Migración (gub.uy trámites). Checked 15 October 2026. Page last updated 19 February 2026. Open to any foreign person intending to live in Uruguay permanently. Means of living can be shown as a "rentista, jubilado y pensionista en el exterior" with a notarial certificate of the income, its monthly nominal amount and how it is received in Uruguay. No minimum amount, age or deposit is printed on the page. Law 18.250 and Decreto 394/009 are the legal base.
- [G1] Uruguay Natural: places to visit, Ministerio de Turismo (Uruguay Natural). Checked 15 October 2026. Describes Punta del Este as a main resort, Atlantic shore scenery at Cabo Polonio, Colonia's nautical conditions and a countryside of cattle and gaucho tradition; gives no coastline figure.
- [G2] Censo 2023: Población estimada, crecimiento intercensal y estructura por sexo y edad (resultados definitivos, diciembre 2024), Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). Checked 15 October 2026. Estimated resident population at 31 May 2023: 3,499,451 (the 3,138,813 people counted, adjusted for a census omission factor of 10.3%). Montevideo department 1,302,954; Colonia department 135,797; Maldonado department 212,951.
- [G3] Rural population (% of total population), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 4.35% of the population is rural (national definitions), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [G4] Agricultural land (% of land area), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 87.36% of land area, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Prado, Montevideo (WMO 86585), Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorología (INUMET) (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Montevideo, the main city for Uruguay's climate grade. Monthly mean daily highs 14.7 to 27.8 °C; monthly rain 83 to 111 mm (every month under 150 mm); 8 comfortable months (January to May and October to December). September's mean high is 17.9 °C, just under the 18 °C line. Carrasco (WMO 86580), the other Montevideo station, also gives 8.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Uruguay: 85 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026.
- [K3] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Uruguay, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 33.04 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index: Uruguay, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 542, global rank 34, up 4 points on the previous score. The page does not print its edition year; it is the live country page read on 15 October 2026.