Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla de Margarita and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla de Margarita: $656 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities 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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Isla de Margarita

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$656

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $656 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $656
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $1,223
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $1,790
Montevideo $3,708

Isla de Margarita is about 63% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 VES 8,883

$15.16 UYU 609

-33.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 VES 70.8K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

16.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

Cappuccino

$2.54 VES 2,229

$4.46 UYU 179

-43.05%

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

$1.01 VES 890

$2.67 UYU 107

-62.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 VES 1,308

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-25.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 VES 896

$4.83 UYU 194

-78.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 VES 2,614

$3.80 UYU 152

-21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 VES 1,786

$1.36 UYU 54.8

49.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 VES 2,564

$2.87 UYU 115

1.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 VES 1,738

$1.75 UYU 70.2

13.14%

Eggs

$2.33 VES 2,045

$4.68 UYU 188

-50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 VES 6,958

$13.88 UYU 557

-42.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 VES 6,964

$11.98 UYU 481

-33.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.13 VES 7,135

$11.97 UYU 480

-32.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 VES 3,608

$2.78 UYU 111

47.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 VES 1,303

$2.74 UYU 110

-45.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 VES 1,793

$1.77 UYU 71.2

15.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 VES 2,249

$3.24 UYU 130

-20.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 VES 1,337

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-22.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 VES 1,627

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-10.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 VES 852

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-29.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 VES 4,413

$8.78 UYU 352

-42.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 VES 904

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-54.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 VES 1,342

$2.75 UYU 110

-44.36%

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)

$3.08 VES 2,702

$1.91 UYU 76.7

61.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 VES 2,597

$0.40 UYU 16.18

640.00%

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)

$30.45 VES 26.7K

$188 UYU 7,557

-83.83%

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

$15.02 VES 13.2K

$20.54 UYU 824

-26.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.21 VES 34.4K

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-12.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 VES 43.5K

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.94 VES 13.1K

$19.75 UYU 793

-24.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 VES 4,402

$11.95 UYU 480

-58.08%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.8 VES 70.1K

$102 UYU 4,099

-21.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 VES 86.3K

$127 UYU 5,079

-22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VES 89.2K

$128 UYU 5,131

-20.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 VES 258.2K

$719 UYU 28.8K

-59.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 VES 444.1K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-55.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$602 VES 528.6K

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-82.25%

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 %)

5.74

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

Last update for Isla de Margarita: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Groceries & Markets

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Eating Out

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Getting Around

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Isla de Margarita

–

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Isla de Margarita 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 $81.0 in Isla de Margarita versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Isla de Margarita vs $332 in Montevideo – so Isla de Margarita wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Isla de Margarita

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

1 h ahead of Isla de Margarita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,387

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 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 VES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Isla de Margarita Montevideo 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Isla de Margarita
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

Isla de Margarita vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $984 per month in Isla de Margarita 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 Isla de Margarita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $81.0 in Isla de Margarita 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 Isla de Margarita, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Isla de Margarita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isla de Margarita – 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 Isla de Margarita. 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.