Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuiaba and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuiaba: $1,081 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,081

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Cuiaba versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Cuiaba $1,081
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,618 in Cuiaba versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Cuiaba $1,618
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,155 in Cuiaba versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Cuiaba $2,155
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Cuiaba costs roughly 40% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cuiaba is 19% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.03 R$25.12

$15.26 UYU 613

-67.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.60 R$178

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-47.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 R$39.43

$14.37 UYU 578

-45.02%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$9.21

$4.64 UYU 187

-60.13%

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

$1.48 R$7.37

$2.73 UYU 110

-45.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R$3.89

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-62.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 R$10.15

$4.75 UYU 191

-57.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R$13.10

$3.67 UYU 147

-28.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.14

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-10.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 R$7.98

$2.77 UYU 112

-42.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 R$9.55

$1.69 UYU 67.8

13.02%

Eggs

$3.08 R$15.36

$4.52 UYU 182

-31.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.15 R$85.6

$14.17 UYU 570

21.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R$24.04

$12.07 UYU 485

-60.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.36 R$56.7

$12.16 UYU 489

-6.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.91

$2.87 UYU 116

-16.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 R$12.00

$2.75 UYU 110

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 R$12.49

$1.73 UYU 69.5

44.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 R$15.02

$3.24 UYU 130

-7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 R$12.72

$2.07 UYU 83.1

23.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.51

$2.07 UYU 83.1

1.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 R$8.23

$1.38 UYU 55.4

19.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.15

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-22.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 R$11.45

$5.57 UYU 224

-58.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.63 R$58.1

$8.89 UYU 357

30.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 R$10.31

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-9.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.28

$2.70 UYU 109

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.11

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.30 R$191

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-48.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.53

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-40.99%

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

$29.9K R$149.2K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

11.79%

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

$33.5K R$167.3K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-8.78%

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

$178 R$888

$191 UYU 7,674

-6.79%

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

$19.31 R$96.4

$20.40 UYU 820

-5.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.04 R$135

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-38.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.15 R$131

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-51.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.84 R$99.0

$19.68 UYU 791

0.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 R$30.80

$12.33 UYU 496

-49.96%

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

$432 R$2,158

$613 UYU 24.7K

-29.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,696 R$48.4K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-12.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 R$383

$103 UYU 4,134

-25.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.06 R$245

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$155 R$775

$124 UYU 5,000

24.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 R$356

$130 UYU 5,214

-45.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R$1,679

$705 UYU 28.4K

-52.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 R$1,163

$575 UYU 23.1K

-59.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 R$3,295

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-42.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$1,848

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-63.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,370 R$6,838

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-59.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$793 R$3,958

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-59.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$399 R$1,992

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-67.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.1

5.74

180.49%

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

Last update for Cuiaba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cuiaba

$285 26.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 16.8% $48

Accommodation & Living

Cuiaba

$233 21.3%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 147% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuiaba

$224 20.5%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 13.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cuiaba

$159 14.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 17.2% $27

Eating Out

Cuiaba

$111 10.1%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 145% $161

Getting Around

Cuiaba

$42 * 3.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 97.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cuiaba

$38 3.5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 105% $40

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 $336 in Cuiaba and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 208% 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: $36.00 in Cuiaba vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $332 per month, with Cuiaba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h ahead of Cuiaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

650,877

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cuiaba Montevideo 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cuiaba
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

Cuiaba vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuiaba wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cuiaba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 208% 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: $336 in Cuiaba versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuiaba – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,081 per month in Cuiaba versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,081 in Cuiaba versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cuiaba but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cuiaba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cuiaba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,081 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cuiaba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cuiaba 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 Cuiaba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.