Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ambato and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambato: $605 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ambato
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Ambato Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Ambato

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$605

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ambato 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 Ambato and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $605 per month in Ambato vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ambato $605
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $985 per month in Ambato vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ambato $985
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,364 per month in Ambato vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ambato $1,364
Montevideo $3,708

Ambato is about 66% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ambato sits 55% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 $3.46

$15.16 UYU 610

-77.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.93 $29.93

$69.2 UYU 2,780

-56.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.32 $5.32

$14.65 UYU 589

-63.69%

Cappuccino

$2.76 $2.76

$4.46 UYU 179

-38.12%

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

$0.82 $0.82

$2.67 UYU 107

-69.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$2.00 UYU 80.5

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 $1.96

$4.83 UYU 194

-59.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.80 UYU 153

-15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.36 UYU 54.9

-27.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.87 UYU 115

-65.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.75 UYU 70.3

-10.29%

Eggs

$1.73 $1.73

$4.68 UYU 188

-63.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$13.88 UYU 558

-60.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$11.98 UYU 482

-74.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$11.97 UYU 481

-67.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.78 UYU 112

-54.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.74 UYU 110

-67.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.77 UYU 71.3

-41.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$3.24 UYU 130

-68.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.97 UYU 79.3

-60.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.07 UYU 83.2

-52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.37 UYU 55.2

-46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.88 UYU 75.4

-45.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 $5.15

$5.59 UYU 225

-7.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 $8.78

$8.78 UYU 353

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.26 UYU 91.0

-35.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.75 UYU 111

2.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.53 UYU 61.6

-81.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 $14.21

$74.3 UYU 2,985

-80.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.91 UYU 76.8

-27.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.40 UYU 16.21

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.43 $9.43

$10.33 UYU 415

-8.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.13 UYU 85.7

-59.62%

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

$23.3K $23.3K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-13.93%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-22.39%

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

$39.20 $39.20

$188 UYU 7,570

-79.18%

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

$13.58 $13.58

$20.54 UYU 826

-33.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.39 $26.39

$44.81 UYU 1,801

-41.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 $29.76

$54.0 UYU 2,169

-44.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 $4.39

$11.95 UYU 481

-63.26%

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

$224 $224

$634 UYU 25.5K

-64.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,408 $2,408

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

-78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.25 $48.25

$102 UYU 4,106

-52.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.22 $35.22

$57.5 UYU 2,313

-38.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 $71.2

$127 UYU 5,088

-43.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 $55.5

$128 UYU 5,139

-56.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$178 $178

$719 UYU 28.9K

-75.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 $124

$568 UYU 22.8K

-78.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 $380

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-66.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 $273

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-73.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,130 $1,130

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

-66.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$884 $884

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

-54.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$679 $679

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-45.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

56.79%

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

Last update for Ambato: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ambato

$147 24.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 126% $185

Accommodation & Living

Ambato

$124 20.5%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 357% $444

Eating Out

Ambato

$99 16.4%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 171% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Ambato

$95 15.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 97% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ambato

$79 13.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 220% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Ambato

$39 6.4%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 102% $39

Getting Around

Ambato

$22 3.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 277% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $178 in Ambato versus $719 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 83% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $332 – making Ambato the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ambato

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

2 h ahead of Ambato

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,185

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ambato Montevideo 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ambato
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

Ambato vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 193% more than Ambato, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $908 per month in Ambato and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ambato, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Ambato and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $605 in Ambato and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 193%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ambato, where all-in costs run around $605, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Ambato it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ambato costs $605 versus $1,771 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ambato. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.