Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayey and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,166 in Cayey, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Cayey
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Cayey Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cayey

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,166

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Cayey versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Cayey $2,166
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Cayey versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Cayey $3,465
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,764 in Cayey versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Cayey $4,764
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Cayey is roughly 22% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cayey 60% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.96 $18.96

$15.16 UYU 609

25.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 $83.0

$69.2 UYU 2,776

20.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 $9.37

$14.65 UYU 588

-36.04%

Cappuccino

$3.66 $3.66

$4.46 UYU 179

-17.94%

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

$1.86 $1.86

$2.67 UYU 107

-30.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-27.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$4.83 UYU 194

-37.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.80 UYU 152

29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.36 UYU 54.8

61.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.87 UYU 115

25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.75 UYU 70.2

40.00%

Eggs

$7.56 $7.56

$4.68 UYU 188

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$13.88 UYU 557

-8.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 $9.50

$11.98 UYU 481

-20.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 $13.37

$11.97 UYU 480

11.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.78 UYU 111

87.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.74 UYU 110

-6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$1.77 UYU 71.2

179.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$3.24 UYU 130

49.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.97 UYU 79.2

86.80%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.07 UYU 83.1

95.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.37 UYU 55.1

155.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-12.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.05 $12.05

$5.59 UYU 224

115.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$8.78 UYU 352

75.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.26 UYU 90.9

38.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.75 UYU 110

44.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.91 UYU 76.7

33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.40 UYU 16.18

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.36 $42.36

$10.33 UYU 415

310.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-52.11%

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

$40.6K $40.6K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

49.77%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-22.20%

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

$326 $326

$188 UYU 7,557

73.00%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$20.54 UYU 824

233.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$44.81 UYU 1,798

56.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 $40.45

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-25.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$11.95 UYU 480

-17.91%

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

$822 $822

$634 UYU 25.5K

29.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

11.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 $60.4

$57.5 UYU 2,309

5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$127 UYU 5,079

-14.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$128 UYU 5,131

-11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 $1,190

$719 UYU 28.8K

65.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 $802

$568 UYU 22.8K

41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 $2,429

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

112.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 $1,836

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

79.43%

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)

$3,661 $3,661

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

194.12%

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 Cayey: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayey

$802 37%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 29.2% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayey

$464 21.4%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 45.4% $211

Groceries & Markets

Cayey

$416 19.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 20.4% $85

Eating Out

Cayey

$262 12.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 2.8% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cayey

$151 7%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 23% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cayey

$60 2.8%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 29.6% $18

Getting Around

Cayey

$10 * 0.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 732% $74

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 $1,190 in Cayey and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayey pays 194% 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: $83.0 in Cayey vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Cayey

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

1 h ahead of Cayey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,999

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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Between locations

Cayey Montevideo 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cayey
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

Cayey vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayey and Montevideo differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,166 vs $1,771 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 194% higher in Cayey, 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: $1,190 in Cayey versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $822 in Cayey versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $83.0 in Cayey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,166 in Cayey, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Cayey. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo 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, Cayey 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 Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Cayey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.