Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Montevideo

For one person, living costs are similar in Acosta and in Montevideo: $1,752 and $1,771 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acosta and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acosta and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Acosta $1,752
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Acosta versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Acosta $2,725
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Acosta versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Acosta $3,698
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Acosta costs roughly 1% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 30% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₡5,328

$15.16 UYU 609

-21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 ₡26.4K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-14.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 ₡5,184

$14.65 UYU 588

-21.09%

Cappuccino

$4.17 ₡1,869

$4.46 UYU 179

-6.50%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₡1,138

$2.67 UYU 107

-4.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡830

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,432

$4.83 UYU 194

-33.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,960

$3.80 UYU 152

15.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₡938

$1.36 UYU 54.8

53.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₡1,110

$2.87 UYU 115

-13.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₡1,032

$1.75 UYU 70.2

31.43%

Eggs

$3.75 ₡1,680

$4.68 UYU 188

-19.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₡4,912

$13.88 UYU 557

-21.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 ₡4,894

$11.98 UYU 481

-8.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 ₡6,781

$11.97 UYU 480

26.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.79 ₡2,595

$2.78 UYU 111

108.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₡799

$2.74 UYU 110

-35.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 ₡1,584

$1.77 UYU 71.2

99.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,448

$3.24 UYU 130

-0.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,464

$1.97 UYU 79.2

65.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,544

$2.07 UYU 83.1

66.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡471

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-23.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$1.88 UYU 75.3

27.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,215

$5.59 UYU 224

-11.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.53 ₡7,861

$8.78 UYU 352

99.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₡1,019

$2.26 UYU 90.9

0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₡1,104

$2.75 UYU 110

-10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₡516

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-24.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ₡1,026

$1.91 UYU 76.7

19.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ₡715

$0.40 UYU 16.18

297.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 ₡4,271

$10.33 UYU 415

-7.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡653

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-31.46%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-18.03%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.8K ₡13.8M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-15.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$188 UYU 7,557

-50.22%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.27 ₡15.4K

$20.54 UYU 824

66.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 ₡25.8K

$44.81 UYU 1,798

28.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$54.0 UYU 2,166

42.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 ₡3,571

$11.95 UYU 480

-33.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$845 ₡379.1K

$634 UYU 25.5K

33.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₡8.2M

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

65.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 ₡36.3K

$102 UYU 4,099

-20.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-3.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₡64.0K

$127 UYU 5,079

12.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ₡51.3K

$128 UYU 5,131

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 ₡353.0K

$719 UYU 28.8K

9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 ₡307.7K

$568 UYU 22.8K

20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 ₡886.4K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

72.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

24.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ₡871.5K

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-42.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,511 ₡677.5K

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

21.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.74

50.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$686 39.2%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 17.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$373 21.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 11.2% $42

Eating Out

Acosta

$222 12.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 21.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$186 10.6%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 36.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$177 10.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 5.3% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$93 5.3%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 16.1% $15

Getting Around

Acosta

$15 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 467% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $787 in Acosta and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Acosta vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

3 h ahead of Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Acosta Montevideo 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Acosta
Montevideo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Acosta vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acosta and Montevideo differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,752 vs $1,771 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Acosta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $787 in Acosta versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,752 per month in Acosta versus $1,771 in Montevideo – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Acosta and Montevideo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.