Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cancun and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Cancun vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cancun $1,428
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,290 per month in Cancun vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cancun $2,290
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,152 per month in Cancun vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cancun $3,152
Montevideo $3,750

Cancun is about 21% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cancun and Montevideo sit above the global median – Cancun by 7%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.15 MX$203

$15.26 UYU 613

-26.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.6 MX$993

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-19.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 MX$206

$14.37 UYU 577

-21.36%

Cappuccino

$3.86 MX$70.3

$4.64 UYU 186

-16.81%

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

$1.38 MX$25.03

$2.73 UYU 110

-49.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 MX$14.62

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-61.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 MX$56.0

$4.75 UYU 191

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.1

$3.67 UYU 147

18.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$29.66

$1.38 UYU 55.4

18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$49.35

$2.77 UYU 111

-2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$29.99

$1.69 UYU 67.7

-2.37%

Eggs

$2.72 MX$49.55

$4.52 UYU 182

-39.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$181

$14.17 UYU 569

-29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 MX$160

$12.07 UYU 485

-27.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 MX$252

$12.16 UYU 488

14.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$2.87 UYU 115

-1.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.38

$2.75 UYU 110

-39.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 MX$58.2

$1.73 UYU 69.4

84.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.37

$3.24 UYU 130

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$36.93

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-1.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$34.63

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-8.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$20.92

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.26

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-34.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 MX$82.0

$5.57 UYU 224

-19.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 MX$182

$8.89 UYU 357

12.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$28.34

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 MX$49.67

$2.70 UYU 108

1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 MX$11.71

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-57.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.64 MX$521

$73.7 UYU 2,958

-61.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 MX$81.8

$1.82 UYU 73.3

147.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.98 MX$54.2

$0.40 UYU 16.02

645.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.62 MX$248

$10.66 UYU 428

27.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.58

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-31.53%

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

$21.0K MX$382.2K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-21.44%

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

$24.5K MX$445.5K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-33.34%

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

$172 MX$3,137

$191 UYU 7,662

-9.64%

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

$23.50 MX$427

$20.40 UYU 819

15.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.97 MX$691

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-13.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.57 MX$611

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-37.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 MX$246

$19.68 UYU 790

-31.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 MX$133

$12.33 UYU 495

-40.55%

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

$205 MX$3,725

$613 UYU 24.6K

-66.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,468 MX$99.5K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

-50.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 MX$998

$103 UYU 4,128

-46.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 MX$996

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-2.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 MX$1,399

$124 UYU 4,993

-38.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 MX$1,716

$130 UYU 5,207

-27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 MX$12.2K

$705 UYU 28.3K

-4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MX$8,440

$575 UYU 23.1K

-19.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.0K

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

20.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$19.6K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

5.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,281 MX$23.3K

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

-61.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 MX$36.1K

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

2.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$819 MX$14.9K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-33.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.74

99.48%

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

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cancun

$464 32.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 24% $111

Groceries & Markets

Cancun

$287 20.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 16% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cancun

$234 16.6%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 9.2% $21

Eating Out

Cancun

$202 14.3%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 34.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Cancun

$126 9%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 47% $59

Getting Around

Cancun

$51 3.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 65.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cancun

$48 3.4%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 63.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Cancun versus $705 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 50% 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 $55.0 in Cancun versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $332 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cancun

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

00:14 12:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

2 h ahead of Cancun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

888,797

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cancun Montevideo 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cancun
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

Cancun vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,428 in Cancun, $1,813 in Montevideo – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,141 per month in Cancun and $2,720 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $205 per month in Cancun and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,428 in Cancun to $1,813 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Cancun. 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.