Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,087 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,087

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,087 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Isla Mujeres $1,087
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,747 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Isla Mujeres $1,747
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,407 in Isla Mujeres versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Isla Mujeres $2,407
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 40% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isla Mujeres is 19% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.60 MX$193

$15.26 UYU 613

-30.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 MX$714

$67.4 UYU 2,710

-41.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 MX$147

$14.37 UYU 577

-43.91%

Cappuccino

$3.38 MX$61.8

$4.64 UYU 186

-27.16%

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

$1.24 MX$22.59

$2.73 UYU 110

-54.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.61

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$40.87

$4.75 UYU 191

-52.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.3

$3.67 UYU 147

3.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.12

$1.38 UYU 55.4

3.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.25

$2.77 UYU 111

-4.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$28.74

$1.69 UYU 67.8

-7.10%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$43.51

$4.52 UYU 182

-47.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 MX$150

$14.17 UYU 570

-41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 MX$146

$12.07 UYU 485

-33.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$197

$12.16 UYU 489

-11.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.58

$2.87 UYU 115

-5.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.58

$2.75 UYU 110

-49.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.53

$1.73 UYU 69.5

2.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.19

$3.24 UYU 130

-49.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.66

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.22

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$22.92

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$17.72

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-47.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$78.0

$5.57 UYU 224

-23.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 MX$195

$8.89 UYU 357

19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.30

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MX$50.0

$2.70 UYU 109

1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$11.98

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-56.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,960

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$48.47

$1.82 UYU 73.3

45.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 MX$27.81

$0.40 UYU 16.04

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 MX$153

$10.66 UYU 429

-21.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.25

$2.22 UYU 89.1

-40.09%

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

$21.2K MX$387.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-20.67%

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

$22.8K MX$416.8K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-37.86%

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

$56.0 MX$1,023

$191 UYU 7,669

-70.64%

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

$22.35 MX$408

$20.40 UYU 820

9.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.89 MX$509

$44.14 UYU 1,774

-36.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 MX$673

$54.1 UYU 2,176

-31.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.02 MX$292

$19.68 UYU 791

-18.60%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$85.4

$12.33 UYU 496

-62.04%

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

$206 MX$3,758

$613 UYU 24.6K

-66.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,587 MX$65.5K

$11.0K UYU 444.0K

-67.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 MX$984

$103 UYU 4,131

-47.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 MX$724

$56.1 UYU 2,253

-29.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 MX$1,630

$124 UYU 4,997

-28.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 MX$1,423

$130 UYU 5,211

-39.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,466

$705 UYU 28.3K

-26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,123

$575 UYU 23.1K

-32.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 MX$16.9K

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-18.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MX$13.9K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-25.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,785 MX$32.6K

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-46.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 MX$21.1K

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

-40.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

5.74

100.00%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: 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

Isla Mujeres

$390 35.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 47.5% $185

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$252 22.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 32.1% $81

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$177 16.1%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 53.1% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$117 10.7%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 58.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$106 9.7%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 140% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.2%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 70.6% $33

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 548% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Isla Mujeres and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Isla Mujeres vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $332 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

2 h ahead of Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 40.18 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

Isla Mujeres Montevideo 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
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 Mujeres vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isla Mujeres and Montevideo differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,087 vs $1,813 including rent). Isla Mujeres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,631 in Isla Mujeres and $2,720 in Montevideo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $518 in Isla Mujeres versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,087 per month in Isla Mujeres versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,087 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Isla Mujeres 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 Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.