Montevideo vs Siargao
Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.
Montevideo
South America's most stable and safe capital — Uruguay's rule of law, beachfront living, and near-perfect market hour alignment make it the continent's dark horse.
Siargao
The Philippines' surf-island paradise — Cloud 9 waves, palm-fringed lagoons, and a tight island-nomad community with an easy 30-day visa.
The short answer
- Siargao scores higher overall, 66/100 vs 60/100
- Siargao is cheaper by $19/mo — about $228 a year
- Siargao is the safer of the two, 62/100 vs 50/100
- Montevideo has faster internet, 52 Mbps vs 35 Mbps
Cost of living
Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.
| Expense | Montevideo | Siargao |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable budgetper month, all in | $1,019 | $1,000✓ |
| Rent, 1BR city centre | $712 | $350✓ |
| Meal, mid-range | $20 | $7✓ |
| Coworking deskper month | $153✓ | $190 |
| Cost of living indexlower is cheaper | 43.8 | 40.0✓ |
Quality of life
Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.
| Measure | Montevideo | Siargao |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | ||
| Healthcare | ||
| Walkability | ||
| English spoken | ||
| Food & dining | ||
| Nightlife | ||
| Outdoors | ||
| Nomad community | ||
| Climate quality | ||
| Public transit |
Scores, connectivity and paperwork
| Measure | Montevideo | Siargao |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom Score | 60/100 | 66/100✓ |
| Global rankof 100 cities | #84 | #62✓ |
| Internet | 52 Mbps✓ | 35 Mbps |
| Average temperature | 63°F | 82°F |
| Air quality | 20/100 | 30/100✓ |
| Airport connectivity | 70/100✓ | 32/100 |
| Nomad visa | 90 days | 30 days free |
| Headline tax rateon local income | 0% | 20% |
Which should you choose?
Choose Montevideo if internet is faster at 52 Mbps, it is more walkable and the headline tax rate is lower.
Choose Siargao if runs $19/mo cheaper, rent is $362/mo lower, it scores higher on safety (62 vs 50) and English is more widely spoken.
What each city is known for
Montevideo
- #1 ranked quality of life in South America — by a wide margin
- Territorial tax — foreign income not taxed as a non-resident
- Pocitos Beach: Montevideo's Copacabana right in the city
- Uruguay: rule of law, low corruption, most stable SA country
Siargao
- Cloud 9: Philippines' surf capital
- Palm islands, lagoons, island-hopping
- Tight nomad and surfer community
- Laid-back island life