Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuenca and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuenca: $990 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$990

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $990 per month in Cuenca vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cuenca $990
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $1,480 per month in Cuenca vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cuenca $1,480
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $1,969 per month in Cuenca vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cuenca $1,969
Montevideo $3,750

Cuenca is about 45% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cuenca sits 26% below the global median, while Montevideo is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 $3.48

$15.26 UYU 613

-77.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.45 $29.45

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-56.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 $7.85

$14.37 UYU 578

-45.37%

Cappuccino

$2.67 $2.67

$4.64 UYU 187

-42.46%

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

$0.78 $0.78

$2.73 UYU 110

-71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-66.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$4.75 UYU 191

-57.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.67 UYU 147

-10.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-23.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.77 UYU 112

-23.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.69 UYU 67.8

10.65%

Eggs

$2.19 $2.19

$4.52 UYU 182

-51.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$14.17 UYU 570

-51.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 $6.13

$12.07 UYU 485

-49.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 $7.26

$12.16 UYU 489

-40.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.87 UYU 116

-28.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.75 UYU 110

-61.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.73 UYU 69.5

-21.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$3.24 UYU 130

-57.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-28.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-42.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-41.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 $5.39

$5.57 UYU 224

-3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.08 $10.08

$8.89 UYU 357

13.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-33.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.70 UYU 109

8.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-75.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.70 $15.70

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-78.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.82 UYU 73.4

-25.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.40 UYU 16.05

170.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.85 $10.85

$10.66 UYU 429

1.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-60.36%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-5.20%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-21.68%

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

$39.66 $39.66

$191 UYU 7,674

-79.22%

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

$13.65 $13.65

$20.40 UYU 820

-33.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.80 $26.80

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-39.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.54 $29.54

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-45.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 $5.18

$19.68 UYU 791

-73.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.24 $7.24

$12.33 UYU 496

-41.28%

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

$229 $229

$613 UYU 24.7K

-62.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,919 $6,919

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-37.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.0 $66.0

$103 UYU 4,134

-35.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 $46.74

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-16.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$124 UYU 5,000

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 $73.0

$130 UYU 5,214

-43.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 $544

$705 UYU 28.4K

-22.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 $386

$575 UYU 23.1K

-32.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 $716

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-37.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 $610

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-39.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,222 $1,222

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-63.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$835 $835

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-57.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 $562

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-54.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.16

5.74

94.43%

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

Last update for Cuenca: 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

Cuenca

$386 39.2%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 48.9% $189

Groceries & Markets

Cuenca

$206 20.9%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 61% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cuenca

$139 14.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 33.5% $47

Eating Out

Cuenca

$106 10.8%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 156% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuenca

$80 8.1%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 219% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Cuenca

$44 4.5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 79% $35

Getting Around

Cuenca

$24 2.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 249% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Cuenca 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 119% 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 $29.00 in Cuenca versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $332 – making Cuenca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

2 h ahead of Cuenca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

495,776

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cuenca Montevideo 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuenca
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

Cuenca vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,486 per month in Cuenca 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 Cuenca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cuenca and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $990 in Cuenca and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuenca, where all-in costs run around $990, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Cuenca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cuenca – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Cuenca. 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.