Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquitos and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquitos: $663 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Iquitos

🇵🇪 Peru

$663

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Iquitos vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Iquitos $663
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,185 per month in Iquitos vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Iquitos $1,185
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,707 per month in Iquitos vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Iquitos $1,707
Montevideo $3,708

Iquitos is about 63% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Iquitos sits 51% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.31 PEN 14.81

$15.16 UYU 609

-71.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.44 PEN 132

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-44.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 PEN 25.06

$14.65 UYU 588

-50.17%

Cappuccino

$3.57 PEN 12.26

$4.46 UYU 179

-19.96%

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

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$2.67 UYU 107

-68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$4.83 UYU 194

-41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 PEN 25.45

$3.80 UYU 152

95.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 PEN 6.05

$1.36 UYU 54.8

29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 PEN 7.91

$2.87 UYU 115

-19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

Eggs

$2.56 PEN 8.80

$4.68 UYU 188

-45.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 PEN 11.26

$11.98 UYU 481

-72.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-52.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

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

$34.73 PEN 119

$188 UYU 7,557

-81.56%

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

$11.34 PEN 38.95

$20.54 UYU 824

-44.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.74 PEN 30.03

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-80.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.05 PEN 99.8

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-46.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.75 PEN 30.06

$19.75 UYU 793

-55.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 PEN 19.37

$11.95 UYU 480

-52.80%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,789 PEN 9,576

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-74.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 PEN 301

$102 UYU 4,099

-14.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 PEN 121

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-38.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.9 PEN 182

$127 UYU 5,079

-58.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.21 PEN 90.0

$128 UYU 5,131

-79.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,180

$719 UYU 28.8K

-52.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 PEN 909

$568 UYU 22.8K

-53.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 PEN 3,029

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-22.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 PEN 2,445

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-30.41%

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)

$573 PEN 1,968

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-53.97%

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 Iquitos: 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

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Groceries & Markets

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Eating Out

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Getting Around

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Iquitos

–

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Iquitos 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.

Salaries run about 117% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Iquitos versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $78.0 vs $332 – making Iquitos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Iquitos

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

2 h ahead of Iquitos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,853

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iquitos Montevideo 3,880 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquitos
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

Iquitos vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 167%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Iquitos 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 Iquitos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 325% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Iquitos and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iquitos, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Iquitos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iquitos – 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 Iquitos. 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.