Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Guadalajara: $1,302 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,302

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,302 in Guadalajara versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Guadalajara $1,302
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,119 in Guadalajara versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Guadalajara $2,119
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,936 in Guadalajara versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Guadalajara $2,936
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Guadalajara costs roughly 28% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guadalajara is 3% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 MX$249

$15.26 UYU 613

-10.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.72 MX$813

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-33.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 MX$165

$14.37 UYU 577

-36.81%

Cappuccino

$3.90 MX$70.9

$4.64 UYU 186

-15.95%

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

$1.67 MX$30.40

$2.73 UYU 110

-38.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.36

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-44.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 MX$49.24

$4.75 UYU 191

-42.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 MX$88.7

$3.67 UYU 147

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$32.08

$1.38 UYU 55.4

27.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 MX$47.68

$2.77 UYU 111

-5.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.39

$1.69 UYU 67.7

2.37%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.14

$4.52 UYU 182

-45.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 MX$164

$14.17 UYU 569

-36.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 MX$181

$12.07 UYU 485

-17.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.52 MX$209

$12.16 UYU 488

-5.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.1

$2.87 UYU 115

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.08

$2.75 UYU 110

-41.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.03

$1.73 UYU 69.4

17.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$31.97

$3.24 UYU 130

-45.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.43

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-3.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$32.73

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.16

$1.38 UYU 55.4

7.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.69

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-41.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.63 MX$84.1

$5.57 UYU 224

-16.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 MX$197

$8.89 UYU 357

21.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$35.22

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-15.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$61.5

$2.70 UYU 108

25.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.55

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-61.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.62 MX$557

$73.7 UYU 2,958

-58.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 MX$39.94

$1.82 UYU 73.3

20.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 MX$25.62

$0.40 UYU 16.02

252.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.36 MX$225

$10.66 UYU 428

15.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.65

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-31.53%

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

$21.1K MX$383.9K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-21.08%

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

$24.1K MX$438.1K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-34.46%

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

$49.59 MX$902

$191 UYU 7,662

-74.01%

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

$22.94 MX$417

$20.40 UYU 819

12.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.15 MX$567

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-29.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.66 MX$521

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-47.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.30 MX$206

$19.68 UYU 790

-42.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.57 MX$119

$12.33 UYU 495

-46.72%

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

$253 MX$4,602

$613 UYU 24.6K

-58.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$197.9K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

-1.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 MX$1,093

$103 UYU 4,128

-41.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 MX$733

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-28.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,965

$124 UYU 4,993

-13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 MX$1,511

$130 UYU 5,207

-35.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$856 MX$15.6K

$705 UYU 28.3K

21.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$497 MX$9,039

$575 UYU 23.1K

-13.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 MX$28.6K

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

37.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 MX$18.3K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-0.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,101 MX$56.4K

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

-7.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,953 MX$35.5K

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

0.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$776 MX$14.1K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-36.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

5.74

103.48%

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

Last update for Guadalajara: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$497 37.8%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 15.8% $79

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$280 21.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 18.8% $53

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$218 16.6%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 24.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$131 10%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 41.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$104 7.9%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 146% $152

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 98.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 88.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $856 in Guadalajara and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 58% 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: $45.00 in Guadalajara vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $332 per month, with Guadalajara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

3 h ahead of Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 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 MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guadalajara Montevideo 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Guadalajara
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

Guadalajara vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guadalajara wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guadalajara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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: $856 in Guadalajara versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guadalajara – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,302 in Guadalajara versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guadalajara but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Guadalajara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guadalajara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,302 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guadalajara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Guadalajara 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 Guadalajara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.