Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $688 in Cusco versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Cusco $688
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,096 in Cusco versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Cusco $1,096
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,505 in Cusco versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Cusco $1,505
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Cusco costs roughly 62% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cusco is 49% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$15.26 UYU 613

-86.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-69.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$14.37 UYU 577

-53.38%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$4.64 UYU 186

-54.53%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$2.73 UYU 110

-71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-84.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$4.75 UYU 191

-63.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$3.67 UYU 147

17.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-10.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$2.77 UYU 111

-16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.69 UYU 67.7

-23.67%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$4.52 UYU 182

-19.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$14.17 UYU 569

-66.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$12.07 UYU 485

-63.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$12.16 UYU 488

-39.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$2.87 UYU 115

-11.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$2.75 UYU 110

-72.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$1.73 UYU 69.4

-15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$3.24 UYU 130

-73.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-50.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-46.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-64.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-59.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$8.89 UYU 357

-33.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$2.70 UYU 108

52.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-80.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.82 UYU 73.3

-5.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$0.40 UYU 16.02

382.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$10.66 UYU 428

-73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-29.28%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-21.25%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$191 UYU 7,662

-84.64%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$20.40 UYU 819

-29.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-0.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-47.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$12.33 UYU 495

-65.45%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$103 UYU 4,128

-63.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-40.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$124 UYU 4,993

-56.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$130 UYU 5,207

-44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$705 UYU 28.3K

-69.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$575 UYU 23.1K

-66.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

-52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-59.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

-2.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

-6.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-64.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Cusco: 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

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 202% $385

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 78.1% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 109% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 191% $168

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 227% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 113% $42

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 563% $71

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 $218 in Cusco and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 184% 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: $21.00 in Cusco vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $332 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

2 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 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 PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cusco Montevideo 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 164% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 184% 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: $218 in Cusco versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.