Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayo Coco and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cayo Coco
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,224
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

  • Cayo Coco $1,224
  • Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,695 in Cayo Coco versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

  • Cayo Coco $1,695
  • Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,166 in Cayo Coco versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

  • Cayo Coco $2,166
  • Montevideo $3,750

Living in Cayo Coco costs roughly 33% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cayo Coco is 9% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.05 CUP 121
$15.26 UYU 613
-66.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.06 CUP 361
$67.4 UYU 2,711
-77.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.07 CUP 170
$14.37 UYU 578
-50.80%
Cappuccino
$0.98 CUP 23.43
$4.64 UYU 187
-78.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 CUP 46.88
$2.73 UYU 110
-28.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 CUP 24.67
$2.09 UYU 84.0
-50.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.05 CUP 49.15
$4.75 UYU 191
-56.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 CUP 73.8
$3.67 UYU 147
-16.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.94 CUP 70.6
$1.38 UYU 55.5
113.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 CUP 24.27
$2.77 UYU 112
-63.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.95 CUP 46.77
$1.69 UYU 67.8
15.38%
Eggs
$3.58 CUP 85.9
$4.52 UYU 182
-20.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.12 CUP 147
$14.17 UYU 570
-56.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 CUP 117
$12.07 UYU 485
-59.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.94 CUP 239
$12.16 UYU 489
-18.26%
Apples (1kg)
$4.91 CUP 118
$2.87 UYU 116
71.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 CUP 24.28
$2.75 UYU 110
-63.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.01 CUP 24.28
$1.73 UYU 69.5
-41.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.99 CUP 23.72
$3.24 UYU 130
-69.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 CUP 24.26
$2.07 UYU 83.1
-51.21%
Onion (1kg)
$3.05 CUP 73.2
$2.07 UYU 83.1
47.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 CUP 24.61
$1.38 UYU 55.4
-25.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 CUP 23.70
$1.85 UYU 74.5
-46.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.96 CUP 71.0
$5.57 UYU 224
-46.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.06 CUP 241
$8.89 UYU 357
13.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 CUP 48.93
$2.29 UYU 92.2
-10.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 CUP 49.27
$2.70 UYU 109
-24.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.52 UYU 61.3
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.65 CUP 472
$73.7 UYU 2,962
-73.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 CUP 24.52
$1.82 UYU 73.4
-43.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 CUP 24.57
$0.40 UYU 16.05
155.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.61 CUP 471
$10.66 UYU 429
83.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 CUP 23.38
$2.22 UYU 89.2
-56.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$68.9K CUP 1.7M
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
157.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$79.5K CUP 1.9M
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
116.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.37 CUP 945
$191 UYU 7,674
-79.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.66 CUP 976
$20.40 UYU 820
99.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$216 CUP 5,191
$44.14 UYU 1,775
390.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.22 CUP 941
$54.1 UYU 2,177
-27.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.85 CUP 236
$19.68 UYU 791
-49.95%
Cinema Ticket
$0.98 CUP 23.44
$12.33 UYU 496
-92.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$89.9 CUP 2,158
$613 UYU 24.7K
-85.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K CUP 355.5K
$11.0K UYU 444.3K
34.05%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.14 CUP 963
$103 UYU 4,134
-60.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.02 CUP 720
$56.1 UYU 2,255
-46.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.7 CUP 1,793
$124 UYU 5,000
-39.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.7 CUP 1,937
$130 UYU 5,214
-37.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$403 CUP 9,664
$705 UYU 28.4K
-42.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$426 CUP 10.2K
$575 UYU 23.1K
-25.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 CUP 24.7K
$1,139 UYU 45.8K
-9.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 CUP 14.9K
$1,016 UYU 40.8K
-38.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$302 CUP 7,243
$3,349 UYU 134.6K
-90.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$356 CUP 8,541
$1,942 UYU 78.1K
-81.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cayo Coco
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$20.21 CUP 485
$1,229 UYU 49.4K
-98.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
5.74
74.22%

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

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cayo Coco
$426
Montevideo
$575 35% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cayo Coco
$296
Montevideo
$255 13.8% $41
Groceries & Markets
Cayo Coco
$233
Montevideo
$332 42.5% $99
Eating Out
Cayo Coco
$102
Montevideo
$271 167% $170
Clothing & Footwear
Cayo Coco
$102
Montevideo
$186 83.1% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Cayo Coco
$41
Montevideo
$79 91.4% $38
Getting Around
Cayo Coco
$26 *
Montevideo
$84 224% $58

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 $403 in Cayo Coco and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 5982% 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: $15.00 in Cayo Coco vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $332 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇺 Cayo Coco
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
04:19 4:19 AM
05:19 5:19 AM
1 h ahead of Cayo Coco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.92 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cayo Coco Montevideo 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cayo Coco
  • Montevideo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Cayo Coco vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cayo Coco or Montevideo?
Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Cayo Coco or in Montevideo?
On paper, salaries run 5982% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cayo Coco compared to Montevideo?
Rent for a central apartment: $403 in Cayo Coco versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Cayo Coco compared to Montevideo?
A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 275% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Cayo Coco and in Montevideo?
Childcare runs $89.9 in Cayo Coco versus $613 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cayo Coco or in Montevideo?
At $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cayo Coco but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cayo Coco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cayo Coco or Montevideo?
Both work as nomad bases, but Cayo Coco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,224 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cayo Coco hard to pass up.
How safe is Cayo Coco compared to Montevideo?
Safety-wise, Cayo Coco 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cayo Coco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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