What is the currency of Uruguay?

The currency of Uruguay is the Uruguayan peso. Its current form, the peso uruguayo, uses the ISO 4217 code UYU and is issued by the Central Bank of Uruguay.

Uruguay has used several peso-based currencies over its history. The present peso replaced the nuevo peso on March 1, 1993, at a conversion rate of 1 peso uruguayo for 1,000 nuevos pesos. It is divided into 100 centésimos, although centésimo coins are no longer commonly used.

The peso’s symbol is usually written as $ or U$, which can cause confusion with the U.S. dollar. Uruguay does use U.S. dollars widely for some large purchases, including property, cars, and certain salaries, but the country’s official national currency remains the Uruguayan peso. The Argentine and Chilean pesos are separate currencies used by Uruguay’s neighbors.