Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,447 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,447

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Jaco Beach versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

Jaco Beach $1,447
Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,313 in Jaco Beach versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

Jaco Beach $2,313
Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Jaco Beach versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

Jaco Beach $3,180
Montevideo $3,728

Living in Jaco Beach costs roughly 19% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jaco Beach 7% above, Montevideo 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.77 ₡5,278

$14.82 UYU 595

-20.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.49 ₡19.5K

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-37.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 ₡4,505

$14.68 UYU 589

-31.54%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₡1,768

$4.65 UYU 186

-15.27%

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

$2.38 ₡1,065

$2.74 UYU 110

-13.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡833

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-10.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 ₡1,475

$4.79 UYU 192

-31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,943

$3.63 UYU 146

19.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₡853

$1.39 UYU 55.8

36.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ₡997

$2.89 UYU 116

-23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$1.70 UYU 68.1

42.94%

Eggs

$2.61 ₡1,171

$4.62 UYU 185

-43.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,764

$14.22 UYU 571

-25.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 ₡4,123

$11.62 UYU 466

-20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.90 ₡5,338

$12.23 UYU 491

-2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,278

$2.77 UYU 111

83.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡742

$2.85 UYU 114

-41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,033

$1.81 UYU 72.5

150.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 ₡1,590

$3.20 UYU 129

10.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.94 UYU 77.8

-19.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡637

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-34.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡454

$1.43 UYU 57.3

-29.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡894

$1.94 UYU 77.9

2.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.79 ₡2,598

$5.47 UYU 219

5.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 ₡6,366

$8.95 UYU 359

58.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,188

$2.26 UYU 90.8

17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₡1,012

$2.81 UYU 113

-19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$1.90 UYU 76.2

27.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.43 UYU 17.36

260.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₡3,994

$10.59 UYU 425

-15.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-26.89%

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

$34.1K ₡15.3M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

27.42%

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

$41.6K ₡18.7M

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

12.53%

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

$80.2 ₡36.0K

$193 UYU 7,727

-58.33%

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

$24.70 ₡11.1K

$20.91 UYU 839

18.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.61 ₡20.9K

$44.89 UYU 1,802

3.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₡23.9K

$50.8 UYU 2,038

4.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,395

$12.30 UYU 494

-38.46%

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

$492 ₡220.8K

$629 UYU 25.2K

-21.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,283 ₡3.3M

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

-33.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.70 ₡11.1K

$104 UYU 4,166

-76.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 ₡25.6K

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.8K

$125 UYU 5,010

5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$132 UYU 5,315

0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ₡343.4K

$713 UYU 28.6K

7.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ₡233.2K

$575 UYU 23.1K

-9.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 ₡891.0K

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

70.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ₡499.1K

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

7.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$399 ₡178.8K

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

-67.96%

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 Jaco Beach: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jaco Beach

$520 35.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 10.7% $55

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$328 22.7%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 1.8% $5.8

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$214 14.8%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 25.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$156 10.8%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 21.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$152 10.5%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 70.5% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$68 4.7%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 10.2% $7

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$10 * 0.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 726% $74

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 $766 in Jaco Beach and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 212% 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: $43.00 in Jaco Beach vs $70.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $334 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

3 h ahead of Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jaco Beach Montevideo 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaco Beach
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

Jaco Beach vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 212% 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: $766 in Jaco Beach versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Jaco Beach versus $629 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $70.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,447 in Jaco Beach versus $1,784 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jaco Beach but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Jaco Beach the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jaco Beach 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, Jaco Beach 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 Jaco Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.