Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Alto and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in El Alto: $291 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

14

Cost of Living Index in El Alto
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El Alto Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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El Alto

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$291

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $291 per month in El Alto vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

El Alto $291
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $456 per month in El Alto vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

El Alto $456
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $621 per month in El Alto vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

El Alto $621
Montevideo $3,708

El Alto is about 84% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

El Alto sits 78% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.16 BOB 13.52

$15.16 UYU 609

-92.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.21 BOB 107

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-86.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.00 BOB 46.42

$14.65 UYU 588

-72.70%

Cappuccino

$1.70 BOB 19.73

$4.46 UYU 179

-61.88%

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

$0.67 BOB 7.75

$2.67 UYU 107

-74.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 BOB 4.96

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-78.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 BOB 14.97

$4.83 UYU 194

-73.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BOB 27.74

$3.80 UYU 152

-37.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 BOB 8.09

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-48.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 BOB 9.64

$2.87 UYU 115

-71.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 BOB 8.57

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-57.71%

Eggs

$1.24 BOB 14.43

$4.68 UYU 188

-73.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.51 BOB 40.80

$13.88 UYU 557

-74.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 BOB 39.27

$11.98 UYU 481

-71.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.43 BOB 51.5

$11.97 UYU 480

-62.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 BOB 19.58

$2.78 UYU 111

-39.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.50 BOB 5.79

$2.74 UYU 110

-81.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 BOB 5.60

$1.77 UYU 71.2

-72.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 BOB 9.09

$3.24 UYU 130

-75.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 BOB 6.31

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-72.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 BOB 6.06

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-74.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BOB 6.27

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-60.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 BOB 7.67

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-64.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 BOB 21.31

$5.59 UYU 224

-67.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.98 BOB 34.65

$8.78 UYU 352

-66.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 BOB 15.52

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 BOB 18.50

$2.75 UYU 110

-42.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 BOB 2.07

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-88.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 BOB 12.32

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-44.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 BOB 10.04

$0.40 UYU 16.18

115.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.28 BOB 96.1

$10.33 UYU 415

-19.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 BOB 5.81

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-76.53%

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

$9,370 BOB 108.8K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-65.43%

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

$11.9K BOB 137.7K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-67.30%

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

$23.13 BOB 269

$188 UYU 7,557

-87.72%

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

$14.37 BOB 167

$20.54 UYU 824

-30.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.60 BOB 216

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-58.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 BOB 46.86

$11.95 UYU 480

-66.19%

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

$126 BOB 1,458

$634 UYU 25.5K

-80.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,328 BOB 15.4K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-87.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.73 BOB 183

$102 UYU 4,099

-84.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 BOB 293

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-56.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.68 BOB 484

$127 UYU 5,079

-67.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.48 BOB 412

$128 UYU 5,131

-72.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

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)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

5.74

38.33%

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

Last update for El Alto: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

El Alto

$110 37.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 202% $222

Eating Out

El Alto

$57 19.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 370% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Alto

$56 19.3%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 352% $198

Clothing & Footwear

El Alto

$53 18.3%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 251% $133

Sport & Entertainment

El Alto

$8.1 * 2.8%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 865% $70

Getting Around

El Alto

$6.1 * 2.1%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 1282% $78

Accommodation & Living

El Alto

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in El Alto versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $110 vs $332 – making El Alto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇴 El Alto

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h ahead of El Alto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

405,492

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to BOB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Alto Montevideo 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

El Alto
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

El Alto vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $291 in El Alto, $1,771 in Montevideo – roughly 509% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $436 per month in El Alto and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $291 in El Alto and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 509%.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in El Alto and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Alto, where all-in costs run around $291, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In El Alto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $291 in El Alto to $1,771 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 El Alto. 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.