Uruguayans share an attitude toward enjoying life's simplest pleasures with the Ticos in Costa Rica - la pura vida. Friends and family, a ramble along la rambla while sipping mate, dancing up the dawn or fishing until dusk, a good game of football, a day at the beach, lighting up the parilla... This is Uruguay. Saving money will come naturally to those who are willing to jump in and immerse themselves in Uruguayan culture.
Happily, housing expenses are much lower than those in the US, whether you are looking to buy property or to rent, with variations depending on where and how you want to live. You will find that Uruguay has much to offer, so be sure to look around.
As for other ongoing costs, one major expense that you can easily do without in Uruguay is a car, as the taxes and annual fees are high. Fortunately, the bus system is excellent, easy to use, inexpensive, pleasant, and distances within the country are not large. No doubt having a car is way convenient, but it really is more of a luxury than a necessity for most people. A popular alternative is to buy a motorcycle, although that has its obvious disadvantages in a nation with such rainfall as Uruguay gets (according to Wikipedia, Montevideo receives an average of 950 mm, or 37 in, per year).
We found our biggest living expense in Uruguay to be the electric bill. That funky old refrigerator in the house you are renting will entail a painful experience when the utility bill shows up. Low-wattage light bulbs help, and here's a little Latin American secret with a big impact: hot water heaters can be turned off. But be prepared for the unexpectedly bone-chilling, moist winter winds that blow either off the pampas of Argentina or in from the Atlantic Ocean, combined with the fact that fireplaces tend to be inefficient at radiating their heat. Juice-sucking electric heaters, or natural gas heaters, are localized, at best. Then there is the more expected summer heat to deal with. If its not one thing its another.
Electronics are also expensive in Uruguay. You can bring computers and such into the country, as long as they are for your own personal use. Another option may be the duty-free shops in Chuy, at the border with Brazil - bring your passport, as Uruguayan citizens can't get out paying these duties. The stores carry many luxury goods at bargain prices in the "Free Shops" that line the Uruguayan side of the street, while you can find excellent Brazilian coffee, coconut milk and all kinds of bulk consumer goods at low prices over on the Brazilian side. A one-day trip is possible from Montevideo - count on about six hours each way in bus travel, and be sure to take a break from your shopping frenzy to rub shoulders with the Brazilians who are gorging themselves on Uruguayan steak at one of the excellent, if noisy, parillas.
Cell phone minutes are another expense that can quickly eat through your dollars, if you are not careful. (We were paying approximately thirty US cents per minute in the latter part of 2009.) Texting costs less, and the companies offer free texting between select phones using the same system. So get those thumbs warmed up and ready to go. Internet access is also a significant cost, and expect slow service during times of peak usage, regardless of which system you use. The least expensive option is to pay for a phone line to be installed. If you are able to sign a two-year contract, the modems work just as well, and have the benefit of being mobile. Prepaid modems are the third option, but because you pay for bandwidth, uploading and downloading will clean you out in a hurry. Internet cafes, on the other hand, are very competitively priced, and will get you out of the house. To really cut back, consider using Skype, as you will find that you still continue breathing without a 24/7 connection.
Food costs are where the greatest savings lie. Excellent quality, inexpensive meats and wines stand out as the real treasures of Uruguay, with delicious produce following up right behind (knowing when the fresh deliveries come is key). The prices feel more than right when the full flavor sensations of the food and drink hit your taste buds. Even mundane staple foods have an amazing capacity to surprise, as I never knew that little ol' lentils could be so flavorful, and smelling the earthiest of smells exploding from the pot of water that I had just poured my potato ñoquis the first time into simply blew me away.
When you are out and about, you can catch an inexpensive bite to eat (or a stomach-full) in a variety of settings, from food wagons to take-away bakeries and confiterías to sit-down sandwich shops and restaurants to parillas to bars, and every combination thereof. Even fine dining is an excellent value in Uruguay, although once you get used to the local economy, you might catch yourself grumbling about prices that, once upon a time in a country far, far away, you would have broken out in a gleeful dance or started kissing everybody upon seeing on your check. Hmm - maybe that's why all the kissing in Uruguay.
And then there are Montevideo's funky neighborhood flea markets, where you will find everything from antiques to yard-sale items, cheap imports, fresh produce, live birds, used books, potted plants, carpets, and whatever else you might expect at a flea market, and then some. The most famous is the one-hundred-year-old Feria de Tristán Narvaja, which busts onto the street on Sundays. The bohemian scene adds all the more charm to this market full of colorful characters, and in addition to great deals, you will find shops with new-age offerings, vegetarian restaurants, anarchist book stores and, of course, your cool beret.
I recently moved to Patagonian Andes, after coming to Argentina then spending nine tranquil months in the Department of Rocha, Uruguay. My South America blog, Because the World is Round... covers my travels and life with my husband over the past year since we left the US to discover the wonders of the Southern Cone, with links to our photos on flickr. Contact me at julierbutler@yahoo.com for questions, comments, suggestions.
This article first appeared on Expat Daily News South America - for more stories, news and information about expat life in South America click here
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