Cost of living in Montevideo

Is it really economical for a retired expat to live in Montevideo?  I have discovered a fascinating website that makes it easy to compare basic costs of everyday living in a number of places around the globe. It's called Expatistan and once you've tried it you'll be hooked on international comparative studies.

I learned the following facts in one afternoon of research.


The cost of living in Oslo is 113% higher than in Montevideo.
 London is 82% higher than Montevideo.
Singapore is 77% higher than Montevideo.
Paris is 65% higher than Montevideo.
Amsterdam is 62% higher than Montevideo.
Hong Kong is 49% higher than Montevideo.
 Rome is 37% higher than Montevideo.

The cost of living in Toronto is 49% higher than in Montevideo.
Vancouver is 41% higher than Montevideo.
Halifax is 34% higher than Montevideo.
Edmonton is 30% higher than Montevideo.
Saskatoon is 20% higher than Montevideo.
Montreal is 19% higher than Montevideo.

The cost of living in Charlotte, N.C. and Johannesburg, South Africa are about the same as the cost of living in Montevideo.

The cost of living in St. Petersburg, Russia is 6% less than in Montevideo.
Prague is 10% less than Montevideo.
Budapest is 13% less than Montevideo.
Warsaw is 22% less than Montevideo.
Mendoza is 26% less than Montevideo.
Buenos Aire is 27% less than Montevideo.
Lima is 29% less than Montevideo.
Mexico City is 30% less than Montevideo.
Quito is 44% less than Montevideo.

 The website compares average prices for food, housing, clothes, transportation, personal care, and entertainment.  Visitors to Expatistan can participate and improve the accuracy of statistics by entering current local prices for items such as a tube of toothpaste, a Big Mac, 2 lbs.of potatoes, a litre of gas, movie tickets, a public transit pass, a pair of dress shoes, or four rolls of toilet paper.

From my own experience, I would say that living in Montevideo has become more costly for expats in the past year due to the decline in the value of the U.S. dollar coupled with high inflation (8.5%).  When we do our regular grocery shopping at Disco supermarket, we note that prices are sneaking upward from week to week on basic items such as coffee, jam, cereal, rice, bread and butter.  Our life in Uruguay is definitely simpler and more spartan than in North America - we do not own a car, a dishwasher, a television, a washer or dryer. Our house does not have the luxury of central heating, which makes the winter months uncomfortable.  Utilities are expensive in Montevideo, so I avoid using the electric oven.  Baking and roasting  have become vague memories from my Canadian culinary past, as it is much less costly to buy pastries from the panaderia and a ready-to-serve slice of beef from the deli counter. Slow food is out of the question.

On the positive side, public transit in Montevideo is reliable and inexpensive. Tickets to concerts, ballet, opera and theatre are affordable and offer a full range of world-class performers.   This city may not be a cheap place to live, but it is never boring.

When former left-wing militant Jose (Pepe) Mujica was elected President in 2009, his acceptance speech included the following passage.

"There is no fixed list of things that make us happy.  Some think the ideal world is full of shopping centres.  I've nothing against that vision, but I simply say that it isn't the only one.  I say we can imagine a country where people repair things instead of throwing them away, where they choose a small car instead of a large one, where they put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat."

Clearly, we are living in Mujica's imagined republic.

Made by Marita

My favourite Uruguayan sweater is a loose-fitting raspberry coloured cardigan with raglan sleeves, a shawl collar and two lines of cable stitching down the front.   It is made from 100% wool, hand-spun and kettle-dyed, a natural fibre that is lustrous, soft, lightweight and warm.  When it's cold and damp in Montevideo, this garment is the ultimate comforter.

What makes this piece of clothing particularly special is not the styling or the drape of the wool, but the fact that I know who made it.  Her name is Marita and she lives in a village northeast of Montevideo called Totoral.  She's part of a rural co-op associated with "Manos del Uruguay," a progressive homegrown venture that helps skilled artisans to develop and market their creations.  Each knitter is a part owner of the co-operative and directly benefits from the profit generated.  

Each "Manos del Uruguay" label names the maker

The organization began with five women in 1968, and has grown to include 350 artisans working in 17 co-ops.  "Manos del Uruguay" was a pioneer in introducing health insurance, retirement pensions, paid vacations and maternity leave for its members.  They also established the first preschool and kindergarten facilities in Uruguay for members' children.  In 2009, "Manos del Uruguay" was admitted as a full member of the World Fair Trade Organization which promotes sustainable economic development.  

The high quality wool used for knitting their ready-to-wear collection is distributed and sold throughout the world, with each skein personally signed by the dyer.  There's an American website Fairmount Fibers a Canadian one Manos Canada and a British site Artesano Yarns.    A colour lab in Montevideo is directed by Santiago Vera Puglia, a master dyer who maintains quality control for the entire "Manos del Uruguay" operation.  The "stria" or shading of the wool from dark to light tones is a distinctive characteristic of his specialized dyeing techniques.  He is responsible for developing over 1000 colours and for keeping those colours consistent as large batches of wool are hand-processed and hung out to dry.  

"Manos del Uruguay" operates four retail stores in Montevideo and also sells products at the Carrasco Airport duty-free shop.  

"Manos del Uruguay" store at Punta Carretas Shopping

I want to send a big "Gracias" to the woman named Marita.  The work of your hands has kept me warm and comfortable all winter.  It's more than just a piece of clothing  -  I like to think that stitch-by-stitch you've created a poem.  

La Rambla, then and now

Strolling along the rambla, 1930s

The rambla of Montevideo functions as an emblem for the city, a place to congregate, an extended promenade, a sports track, and a connector for diverse neighbourhoods. For the visitor arriving from the airport, the winding route along the rambla offers a scenic, impressive entrance to the city.   The 22 kilometre stretch of coastal avenue extending from the port in Ciudad Vieja to the suburb of Carrasco is the subject of an exhibition of archival photos presented at El Centro Municipal de Fotografia, Sala CMDF.

Installation of photos at CMDF

The construction of the rambla was initiated by the municipal government of Montevideo in 1922 and took over eight years to complete.  The economic boom of that time period made the visionary project feasible, while the steady stream of working-class immigrants arriving at the port provided a ready and willing labour force.  Montevideo was promoted as the "Switzerland of South America" and "Athens of the River Plate", and politicians wanted to take advantage of the natural attributes of the waterfront and make the coastline accessible for recreation and transportation.

Land was appropriated to provide space for the public project.  The red-light district "El Bajo" was completely eliminated in the process, a social consequence undoubtedly foreseen and approved by city council.   By displacing bordellos, dance halls and cafes from prime land, the seedier elements of Montevideo were forced to move to less-visible areas of the city.  Creating the rambla meant radical surgery; a big facelift for a rundown riverfront.

Construction of the rambla, c. 1925

Lots of manual labour was required

The finished plaza in  front of the Parque Hotel c.1935

Some urban spaces are just awkward, unfavourable places in spite of  fancy design features and updated architectural elements.   Those unsuccessful city squares and walkways - though well-intended - end up being perpetually vacant, or serving as a magnet for undesirable activity. The rambla, in contrast, maintains its reputation as a vibrant, safe, well-used part of Montevideo, embraced and enjoyed by all sectors of society.  It is a public treasure that has become an integral part of the collective experience.

The wide sidewalk allows for multi-purpose use

Beach volleyball courts at Playa Ramirez, set against the city skyline

The plaza is now used as a skateboard area

A place to be active,  or sit and watch the parade.  The Parque Hotel from 1910 is in the background.

An unobstructed view of the water is essential to the concept of the promenade

A contemplative place

The rambla is a popular spot for fishing

Sunday morning pastime

The rambla allows access to the beach for joggers

Enjoying yerba mate with friends

Morning

Evening

Night, with fireworks

"Under the seeming disorder of the old city, wherever the old city is working successfully, is a marvelous order for maintaining the safety of the streets and the freedom of the city. It is a complex order. Its essence is intricacy of sidewalk use, bringing with it a constant succession of eyes. This order is all composed of movement and change, and although it is life, not art, we may fancifully call it the art form of the city and liken it to the dance — not to a simple-minded precision dance with everyone kicking up at the same time, twirling in unison and bowing off en masse, but to an intricate ballet in which the individual dancers and ensembles all have distinctive parts which miraculously reinforce each other and compose an orderly whole. The ballet of the good city sidewalk never repeats itself from place to place, and in any once place is always replete with new improvisations." 

           — Jane Jacobs (The Death and Life of Great American Cities)

La Casa de los Gatos

La Casa de los Gatos, Boulevard Espana and Juan Paullier

I have mentioned this house in two previous blog posts, but I vow that this will definitely be the last time.  The house no longer exists.   Once the home of Geronimo Ithurralde, a prominent Montevideo merchant, the mansion located at 2232 Bulevar Espana was demolished earlier this week.  In the early 1900s, Ithurralde designed his grand residence incorporating elements from a favourite castle in Segovia, Spain.   He lived here with his wife, seven sons and one daughter.   In her old age daughter Thula,  the last surviving family member, remained in the house and sheltered more than 20 stray cats.  The reclusive woman kept to herself, looked after her feline companions and died alone - Thula's decomposed body was discovered by police in an upstairs bedroom.   Legend has it that her ghost frequented the watchtower at night.

Demolition begins at the top, with the cupola

Oak staircase is removed

Urns at the entrance

Fine ironwork

Salvaging bits and pieces

Fig leaf decoration

Layers of history

Interior

Tile detail

Reduced to rubble

The cat lady's watchtower disappears

Sledgehammer assault

Bulldozer removes the remains

A hole in the streetscape, soon to be filled with an apartment tower

Here is a video of the demolition in progress, the only press coverage that I could find.

On the street

Postscript 5/8/2011:  Today's edition of " El Pais" section B has an article about the house in which architect Mariano Arana mourns the loss of the building, and describes the demolition as "incomprehensible."   Too little, too late, I'm afraid! 

Thick fog, fine ash

Satellite photo from NASA, June 13, 2011 showing the ash plume

The eruption of Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in southern Chile on June 4th was not an isolated regional disaster, but a six mile high explosion of fire, magma and fumes that has disrupted weather eastward across South America and westward as far as Australia and New Zealand.   During the week following the volcanic activity, Uruguay experienced dense fog, violent winds, torrential rain and dramatic thunderstorms.  Clouds of ash reduced the horizon of the Rio de la Plata to a grey smudge, and my afternoon session on the beach taking  moody, Turneresque photos resulted in red eyes and irritated lungs.  ( It wasn't until the next day that a notice in the newspaper warned people not to wear contact lenses, a precaution that hadn't crossed my foggy mind.)    Drifting volcanic ash plumes continue to affect air quality and paralyze air travel;  last Friday 66 flights in and out of Carrasco Airport were cancelled.  We are grounded - another irritant!

Fog shrouds the Playa Ramirez in Montevideo

Parque Rodo - ashes to ashes

  The most noticeable immediate impact of volcanic activity is a widespread cold snap, as hot air from the blast rises, cools and wets.  The Antofagasta area  in northern Chile had a severe, unprecedented snowfall on July 5th.  Although we haven't had any snow here, the past month of near-freezing temperatures in Uruguay has been a brutal episode for homeless people living on the streets.  Following five deaths amongst "sin techo" victims of exposure,  the government ordered mandatory pick-up and sheltering of anyone found sleeping on the sidewalk in Montevideo.  

A cardboard box is home for this poor person

 Friends living in Mendoza province may be boasting about the free fertilizer that will enrich their vineyard soil and improve the flavour of their wines, but they should also be aware that volcanoes have huge carbon footprints and spew chemicals that deplete the ozone layer, contaminate soil and disturb the ecosystem.  Sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid and hydrogen fluoride are toxins that are potentially hazardous for plants and animals. Ash-covered fields are not conducive to crop-growing or livestock-grazing until the ash has washed away and filtered down through multiple layers of soil.  The possible chemical fallout from volcanic activity is described in this detailed article published by the U.S government.

As we wait for the sky to clear, I am staying home to dust the woodwork, wearing my old-fashioned glasses and a thick, wool sweater.

Ghosts

The graffiti came first, claiming the presence of a ghost.  It's an urban legend that the vacant house on Boulevard Espana is haunted, but the sight of a spectral figure glowing in an upstairs window could hardly be more disturbing than the sign that appeared one morning on the fence.  

Doomed

Demolition company sign

A developer has purchased the property and will soon start demolition to make way for yet another high-rise apartment building.

I am appalled to see the full-scale transformation of Montevideo taking place rapidly, without protest, as irreplaceable built heritage is reduced to rubble overnight.  The newspaper El Pais reports that the construction boom is happening so fast and furiously, that developers are going ahead with projects without waiting for the proper municipal permits to be issued.  The fines for non-compliance are less than fees for permits, and can be paid after the fact, when the building is already in place.  If a newly-constructed apartment building happens to be five storeys higher than the limit - no problem - a cash payment to the authorities will suffice.

As for a heritage registry, I am informed that there is an inventory of valued buildings in the city, but that it has absolutely no effect in preventing demolition.  If the proposed construction project is backed by a sufficient amount of money, then anything is possible.

Doomed

This house around the corner on 21 de Setiembre is another ghost.  It was recently sold by the owner to a developer for a very large sum, and is destined to be replaced with an apartment tower.

Changing streetscape in Parque Rodo 

What to expect - an uninspired, ugly new tower  right next door

Gaps like this are common in Montevideo's older neighbourhoods

Remains of a once elegant interior

Is this one next?  

Or this one?

Then this one?

Or this one?

The ghosts will disappear, but Montevideans will be forever haunted by what they have lost; the fabric of a beautiful city full of history, character and charm.  Progress?  I think not.

“Historic buildings are a proud and significant part of our, and every, nation’s heritage. They are an irreplaceable element of the collective memory of local communities…They contribute both to our sense of identity and to that regional distinctiveness which is so valuable and so vulnerable.” 
                                                                                        - Stevens, J, Sir. (past) Chairman English Heritage.