Which is the best exchange house in Uruguay?

There is no single “best”: the best dollar price changes daily and between branches, and service quality varies by location. This page combines live rates (scraped from official sites), public Google reviews and each house’s coverage so you can choose by what matters most to you. For today’s best price, check the live comparator on the home page.

Exchange house or bank — which pays better?

For cash, exchange houses usually offer a tighter spread than a bank counter and don’t require an account. Banks pay off if you already bank with them: electronic channels like eBROU beat the counter rate and you avoid carrying cash.

Should I exchange money at the airport?

Airport branches are convenient but usually quote worse than downtown ones — you pay for the convenience. If you can, exchange the minimum on arrival and the rest at a downtown house after comparing rates.

Is it safe to exchange money in Uruguay?

Yes, as long as you use BCU-authorized houses (every house on this page is). Ask for and keep the receipt, count your money before leaving, and avoid informal street exchange.

What do I need to exchange money?

For small amounts, just the cash. For medium and large amounts houses will ask for ID (cédula or passport) under the BCU’s anti-money-laundering rules.

Where should I exchange dollars in Montevideo?

The densest cluster of houses is in Centro and Ciudad Vieja, where competition keeps prices tight; rates in posher neighborhoods like Carrasco or Pocitos tend to be slightly less competitive. Use the branch map to find what’s near you and the live comparator to see who pays best today.

Can you negotiate the board rate?

Yes. For medium and large amounts (from roughly US$100-500 depending on the house), many houses will beat the board rate if you ask at the counter, and regular customers often get a few extra cents. Guides like Guru’Guay and expat forums document this as standard practice.

Are the reviews and rates on this page up to date?

Rates are scraped automatically several times a day from official sites. Google reviews are a snapshot as of July 24, 2026, with sources cited; averages may have drifted slightly since.

Why do some houses show “no data” for reviews?

Because we couldn’t find a verifiable Google listing with enough reviews. That’s common for small or inland houses and does not imply a bad reputation.

Cambio Uruguay See every house

Banks that sell dollars in Uruguay

Banks publish two different prices: the branch board, which anyone can use, and the electronic-channel price (eBROU, transfer) reserved for clients and usually better. The "Operation" column below tells them apart.

Reputation surveyed on July 24, 2026 · Live rates

Pick by what you need

Best USD price right now

BROU

USD sell: $ 41,30

Best reputation

BROU

4.0★ (184)

Widest coverage

BROU

19 depts.

Best digital experience

BROU

Cotización online diaria de múltiples monedas en · Compra/venta de dólares 100% online 24 h vía eBROU con · App móvil eBROU

How we compare (methodology)

Rates: come from our automatic scraping of each house’s official site, updated several times a day. The spread is the gap between buy and sell: the lower it is, the less you lose on a round trip.
Reputation: average and count of public Google Maps reviews as of July 24, 2026. We do not rate anyone ourselves: every figure is cited, and each number was double-checked with an independent second search. Fewer than 30 reviews is flagged as a small sample.
“No data” is not a bad sign: small or inland houses often have few published reviews.
We have no commercial affiliation with any house: nobody pays to appear or to rank. Spot an error? Tell us via the contact page.

Public Google reviews as of July 24, 2026 · Cash-dollar rates scraped from official sites; “—” means the house isn’t publishing an online rate right now.

5 houses

House	Reviews (Google)	USD buy	USD sell	Spread	Operation	Coverage	More
BROU Bank	4.0 (184)	$ 39,10	$ 41,30	5,47%	Cash	19 depts.	Official site Branches History
Itau Bank	3.7 (111)	$ 39,10	$ 41,40	5,71%	Cash	7 depts.	Official site Branches History
BBVA Bank	No data	$ 38,00	$ 42,00	10,00%	Transfer account required	—	Official site Branches History
Santander Bank	No data	$ 38,43	$ 42,05	9,00%	Cash	12 depts.	Official site Branches History
Scotiabank Bank	No data	$ 39,15	$ 41,32	5,39%	Transfer account required	16 depts.	Official site Branches History

BROU

Bank

4.0 (184)

USD buy: $ 39,10
USD sell: $ 41,30
Spread: 5,47%
Coverage: 19 depts.

Cash

Official site Branches History

Itau

Bank

3.7 (111)

USD buy: $ 39,10
USD sell: $ 41,40
Spread: 5,71%
Coverage: 7 depts.

Cash

Official site Branches History

BBVA

Bank

Reviews (Google): No data

USD buy: $ 38,00
USD sell: $ 42,00
Spread: 10,00%
Coverage: —

Transfer

account required

Official site Branches History

Santander

Bank

Reviews (Google): No data

USD buy: $ 38,43
USD sell: $ 42,05
Spread: 9,00%
Coverage: 12 depts.

Cash

Official site Branches History

Scotiabank

Bank

Reviews (Google): No data

USD buy: $ 39,15
USD sell: $ 41,32
Spread: 5,39%
Coverage: 16 depts.

Transfer

account required

Official site Branches History

House by house

Exchange house, bank or fintech?

Exchange houses make their living buying and selling currency and compete block by block, so they usually beat bank counters on cash rates — no account needed.

Banks (BROU, Itaú, Santander and Scotiabank) pay off mainly if you are already a customer: electronic channels can improve on the counter rate and you avoid carrying cash. As a neutral reference, the central bank (BCU) publishes the daily interbank rate — a wholesale price no counter will match exactly.

Fintechs and issuers such as Prex and OCA use their digital channels and customer rates: they work well for balances and purchases, but physical banknotes still require an authorized counter.

Border towns and the interior

In border cities like Rivera, Chuy or Río Branco, Uruguayan and Brazilian houses coexist and the real trades with very thin spreads: houses such as Cambio Principal, Cambial or Cambio Fénix live off that flow.

Inland, supply concentrates in one or two houses per town (Cambio Young in Young, Cambio Minas in Minas, Cambio Openn in Melo). With less competition, checking Montevideo rates before exchanging large amounts always pays.

In Punta del Este and Maldonado competition is fierce in season (Aeromar, Maiorano and the big chains): prices move faster, so check the day’s rate.

Safety and regulation

Every house listed here is authorized and supervised by the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU), which publishes the official registry of licensed exchange houses. Each house’s “BCU” link goes to its entry in that registry.

Exchanging at a licensed house gets you a receipt and verified banknotes. Avoid informal street exchange: besides being illegal, it is the main source of counterfeit bills.

Under anti-money-laundering rules, medium and large amounts require ID (cédula or passport). This is normal and applies at every institution.

Department

Frequently asked questions

Rates change during the day and may differ from each branch’s board. Reputation is a snapshot of public reviews as of July 24, 2026: it is not our own rating nor financial advice. We are not affiliated with any listed house. Found an error? Let us know via the contact page.

Sources and references

Where does it pay to exchange today?

The best price changes every day. Check the live comparator with every house, or find the nearest branch on the map.

See live rates See branch map See all branches