Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Montevideo $3,728

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 8% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 21% above, Montevideo 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$14.82 UYU 595

20.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-6.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$14.68 UYU 589

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$4.65 UYU 186

-16.99%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$2.74 UYU 110

-24.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$4.79 UYU 192

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$3.63 UYU 146

30.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$1.39 UYU 55.8

8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$2.89 UYU 116

-10.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$1.70 UYU 68.1

-7.65%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$4.62 UYU 185

-40.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$14.22 UYU 571

-23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$11.62 UYU 466

-13.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$12.23 UYU 491

8.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$2.77 UYU 111

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$2.85 UYU 114

-26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$1.81 UYU 72.5

-19.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$3.20 UYU 129

-37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$1.94 UYU 77.8

-38.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$1.43 UYU 57.3

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$1.94 UYU 77.9

-7.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$5.47 UYU 219

-26.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$8.95 UYU 359

-38.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$2.81 UYU 113

-1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$1.56 UYU 62.6

-55.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$73.8 UYU 2,962

-62.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$1.90 UYU 76.2

-14.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$0.43 UYU 17.36

125.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$10.59 UYU 425

-25.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-33.02%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-12.89%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-13.66%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$193 UYU 7,727

3.60%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$20.91 UYU 839

11.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$44.89 UYU 1,802

-29.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-1.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$19.73 UYU 792

-15.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$12.30 UYU 494

-12.20%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$629 UYU 25.2K

-26.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

-19.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$104 UYU 4,166

15.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$57.4 UYU 2,305

64.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$125 UYU 5,010

-6.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$132 UYU 5,315

3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$713 UYU 28.6K

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$575 UYU 23.1K

-10.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

34.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

15.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-23.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

6.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

-25.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.74

897.39%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 11.9% $61

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 17.2% $49

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 1.6% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 1.6% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 10.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 5.5% $4

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 126% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 35% 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: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $70.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $334 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Montevideo 210 km

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Montevideo differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $1,784 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $629 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $1,784 in Montevideo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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, Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.