Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilopango and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilopango: $1,625 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
Learn more

Ilopango Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,625

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Ilopango versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Ilopango $1,625
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,858 in Ilopango versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Ilopango $1,858
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,090 in Ilopango versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Ilopango $2,090
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Ilopango costs roughly 10% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ilopango 21% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.16 $3.16

$15.26 UYU 613

-79.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.12 $44.12

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-34.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 $5.04

$14.37 UYU 578

-64.93%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$4.64 UYU 187

-36.64%

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

$0.93 $0.93

$2.73 UYU 110

-65.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-53.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 $0.91

$4.75 UYU 191

-80.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$3.67 UYU 147

-52.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.38 UYU 55.5

137.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.77 UYU 112

-48.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.69 UYU 67.8

81.66%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$4.52 UYU 182

-35.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$14.17 UYU 570

-64.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 $5.86

$12.07 UYU 485

-51.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 $9.86

$12.16 UYU 489

-18.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.87 UYU 116

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.75 UYU 110

-26.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.73 UYU 69.5

17.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.24 UYU 130

-39.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-2.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-32.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-47.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 $3.95

$5.57 UYU 224

-29.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 $12.18

$8.89 UYU 357

37.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-57.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.70 UYU 109

-23.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.67 $35.67

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-51.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.82 UYU 73.4

293.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.40 UYU 16.05

440.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 $4.71

$10.66 UYU 429

-55.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 $0.67

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-69.82%

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

$19.9K $19.9K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-25.44%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-29.05%

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

$34.38 $34.38

$191 UYU 7,674

-81.98%

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

$9.97 $9.97

$20.40 UYU 820

-51.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.70 $39.70

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-10.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.80 $39.80

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-26.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$19.68 UYU 791

-48.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 $4.97

$12.33 UYU 496

-59.69%

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

$104 $104

$613 UYU 24.7K

-82.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,904 $1,904

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-82.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.18 $20.18

$103 UYU 4,134

-80.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.95 $29.95

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-46.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 $75.4

$124 UYU 5,000

-39.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 $58.9

$130 UYU 5,214

-54.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 $677

$705 UYU 28.4K

-3.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 $1,038

$575 UYU 23.1K

80.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 $585

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-48.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 $640

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-36.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,747 $1,747

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-47.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$949 $949

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-51.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$976 $976

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-20.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.53%

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

Last update for Ilopango: 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

Ilopango

$1K 62.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 44.6% $463

Groceries & Markets

Ilopango

$248 15%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 33.8% $84

Eating Out

Ilopango

$91 5.5%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 197% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilopango

$84 5.1%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 204% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Ilopango

$83 5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 124% $103

Getting Around

Ilopango

$57 3.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 46.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ilopango

$50 3%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 58.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $677 in Ilopango and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 26% 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: $44.00 in Ilopango vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $332 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

02:03 2:03 AM

3 h ahead of Ilopango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,890

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ilopango Montevideo 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ilopango
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

Ilopango vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilopango is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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: $677 in Ilopango versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $104 in Ilopango versus $613 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,625 in Ilopango versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ilopango but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Ilopango the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ilopango 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, Ilopango 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 Ilopango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.