What our move to Uruguay actually cost

So — what our move to Uruguay cost. I’ll go step by step, the way it was for us. Five people and a dog.

When we decided to change continents, we were still choosing between Uruguay and Argentina. For the money, that barely changes the picture. Below is how it went for us.

Papers

First we had to get documents: birth certificates, criminal-record certificates — ours from Ukraine and from Switzerland. The Ukrainian ones we ordered remotely; they came by regular mail. That ran about $300, and almost as much again for birth certificates and other papers. In Switzerland another roughly $200 for their criminal-record certificates. More on the papers: /en/pereezd/dokumenty/.

The dog

Then vaccines and the vet — stamps in the dog passport. Around $150. How we flew a pug with the cabin weight limit is a separate story: /en/pereezd/mops/.

Tickets: first flight of our lives

Next quest — the plane. We didn’t want a pile of layovers: this was our first time flying. We looked for directs to Buenos Aires. Found them from Zurich. We couldn’t pay online in our situation, so we went to a travel agency and bought with cash.

For five people one way it was about $1,400 per person plus $200 for the dog. And return tickets “just in case”, so we wouldn’t get stuck. We looked a long time for something we could refund at least in part. In the end: Turkish Airlines, Buenos Aires–Istanbul, about $1,000 a ticket.

Suitcases, stuff, the road to Zurich

With that fare we took one checked bag each, included in the tickets: we bought five suitcases at $60. And about three for carry-on at $40. Plus things we needed — electronics, medicine, stuff that’s expensive in Latin America. About $500.

On departure day — to Zurich airport. For five people that’s not cheap: $80 per person. And an apartment in Buenos Aires for a couple of days — $300.

Buenos Aires and the ferry

We flew. Landed. Because we’d already spent a lot, we took a bus from the airport — and that was a big mistake. Separate story, another time. The bus itself was about $20 and that was it.

We ate in some café for $70 for five, went to the apartment. Mobile data ate $50 in half a day. In the morning a Russian guy picked us up by car to the ferry to Uruguay. He charged $100. Ferry tickets for five were about $70 each then. And we were in Uruguay.

Piriápolis: a night with nowhere to sleep

We cleared customs, took two taxis to a mall — about $60. McDonald’s in the mall for $50. Transfer to Piriápolis — $150. The place we’d booked near town was so bad we were scared to sleep there. We walked away — and lost $200.

The transfer dropped us in the center of Piriápolis. Evening already, nowhere to live. Hotels almost never take a dog. Later we found a Booking stay at $250 a night that allowed the dog. We lived like that for about three days while we looked for a monthly rental — another about $750 on those nights alone.

How we got lucky with the apartment

Somehow we found a place without an agency for $850 a month and took it for a year. Uruguayans usually want a six-month deposit, the agency takes another 100%, plus the contract costs almost a month’s rent. We got lucky: the owner agreed with no deposit.

Internet and utilities — about $200 a month. Food at the start, before you settle in, runs high: for us, probably around $1,200.

Paperwork and Montevideo

All the document paperwork came to about $9,000. Plus trips to Montevideo — five people, that’s not cheap. About four times over a few months, around $400 for everyone.

If you add it up in your head — that’s about those $28,000. Some of it rounded, some from memory. My take: the first three months, while you settle, look for housing and do the papers, you need a buffer. That’s how it went for us — surprises, the hotel, documents, trips.