Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,548
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $2,428 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,428
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $3,309 per month in Guanacaste vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,309
Montevideo $3,708

Guanacaste is about 13% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guanacaste and Montevideo sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 15%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,860

$15.16 UYU 610

-28.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.9K

$69.2 UYU 2,780

-29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,248

$14.65 UYU 589

-20.27%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,036

$4.46 UYU 179

1.57%

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

$2.75 ₡1,236

$2.67 UYU 107

3.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡872

$2.00 UYU 80.5

-3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,420

$4.83 UYU 194

-34.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,041

$3.80 UYU 153

19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡897

$1.36 UYU 54.9

47.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,366

$2.87 UYU 115

5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.75 UYU 70.3

38.86%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,591

$4.68 UYU 188

-24.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,442

$13.88 UYU 558

-60.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,006

$11.98 UYU 482

-62.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,870

$11.97 UYU 481

-9.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,149

$2.78 UYU 112

-7.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.74 UYU 110

-40.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,026

$1.77 UYU 71.3

154.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡699

$3.24 UYU 130

-51.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,753

$1.97 UYU 79.3

97.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,004

$2.07 UYU 83.2

7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡384

$1.37 UYU 55.2

-37.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,389

$1.88 UYU 75.4

64.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,988

$5.59 UYU 225

-20.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,125

$8.78 UYU 353

131.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$2.26 UYU 91.0

28.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$2.75 UYU 111

-3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$1.53 UYU 61.6

-15.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,102

$1.91 UYU 76.8

28.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡698

$0.40 UYU 16.21

287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,952

$10.33 UYU 415

-14.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.13 UYU 85.7

-27.23%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-19.49%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-2.28%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$188 UYU 7,570

-48.76%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$20.54 UYU 826

76.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$44.81 UYU 1,801

-26.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$54.0 UYU 2,169

33.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,401

$11.95 UYU 481

-36.65%

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

$974 ₡437.5K

$634 UYU 25.5K

53.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

57.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.5K

$102 UYU 4,106

-35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$57.5 UYU 2,313

-24.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$127 UYU 5,088

-29.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$128 UYU 5,139

-39.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.9K

$719 UYU 28.9K

12.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.9K

$568 UYU 22.8K

10.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡862.8K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

67.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡568.2K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

23.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.74

50.17%

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

Last update for Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 9.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 6.7% $21

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 22.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 53.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 50.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 10.7% $9.3

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 447% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Guanacaste versus $719 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Guanacaste versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $332 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

3 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Montevideo 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
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

Guanacaste vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,321 per month in Guanacaste and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guanacaste, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Guanacaste and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Guanacaste and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – 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 Guanacaste. 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.