Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arecibo and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Arecibo $1,281
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Arecibo versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Arecibo $2,005
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Arecibo versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Arecibo $2,730
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Arecibo costs roughly 28% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arecibo is 5% below, Montevideo is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$15.16 UYU 609

-19.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$69.2 UYU 2,776

17.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 $8.55

$14.65 UYU 588

-41.64%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$4.46 UYU 179

-23.32%

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

$1.90 $1.90

$2.67 UYU 107

-28.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$4.83 UYU 194

-36.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.80 UYU 152

33.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.36 UYU 54.8

31.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.87 UYU 115

17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.75 UYU 70.2

10.86%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$4.68 UYU 188

-4.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$13.88 UYU 557

-7.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$11.98 UYU 481

-20.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$11.97 UYU 480

12.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.78 UYU 111

78.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.74 UYU 110

-5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$1.77 UYU 71.2

171.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.24 UYU 130

49.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.97 UYU 79.2

87.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.07 UYU 83.1

92.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.37 UYU 55.1

157.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$5.59 UYU 224

114.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

$8.78 UYU 352

80.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.26 UYU 90.9

36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.75 UYU 110

47.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-45.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.91 UYU 76.7

32.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.40 UYU 16.18

265.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$10.33 UYU 415

306.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-57.28%

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

$40.4K $40.4K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

48.96%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-22.37%

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

$324 $324

$188 UYU 7,557

72.23%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$20.54 UYU 824

231.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$44.81 UYU 1,798

47.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$11.95 UYU 480

-11.38%

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

$833 $833

$634 UYU 25.5K

31.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

14.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$57.5 UYU 2,309

6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$127 UYU 5,079

-13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$128 UYU 5,131

-10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,191 $1,191

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-4.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.74

14.11%

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

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arecibo

$459 35.8%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 44.7% $205

Groceries & Markets

Arecibo

$395 30.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 16% $63

Eating Out

Arecibo

$203 15.8%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 32.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Arecibo

$153 12%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 21.6% $33

Getting Around

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 67% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 268% $57

Accommodation & Living

Arecibo

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Montevideo pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Arecibo vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

1 h ahead of Arecibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,634

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arecibo Montevideo 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arecibo
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

Arecibo vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Montevideo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arecibo 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 Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.