Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in La Merced vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

La Merced $565
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $917 per month in La Merced vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

La Merced $917
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,269 per month in La Merced vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

La Merced $1,269
Montevideo $3,708

La Merced is about 68% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

La Merced sits 58% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.04

$15.16 UYU 609

-71.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 119

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-49.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.26

$14.65 UYU 588

-53.79%

Cappuccino

$3.16 PEN 10.84

$4.46 UYU 179

-29.15%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.67

$2.67 UYU 107

-59.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-68.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PEN 8.93

$4.83 UYU 194

-46.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.87

$3.80 UYU 152

13.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.36 UYU 54.8

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.79

$2.87 UYU 115

-31.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-26.86%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$4.68 UYU 188

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$13.88 UYU 557

-48.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$11.98 UYU 481

-50.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 PEN 29.69

$11.97 UYU 480

-27.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.45

$2.78 UYU 111

-63.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$2.74 UYU 110

-83.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$1.77 UYU 71.2

-84.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$3.24 UYU 130

-76.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-84.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.45

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-79.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-55.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-51.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 PEN 19.25

$5.59 UYU 224

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 PEN 25.26

$8.78 UYU 352

-16.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.43

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-17.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 11.10

$2.75 UYU 110

17.45%

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)

$3.82 PEN 13.12

$1.91 UYU 76.7

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 PEN 7.14

$0.40 UYU 16.18

420.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 PEN 25.41

$10.33 UYU 415

-28.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 PEN 5.97

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-18.31%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-18.39%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-29.72%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$188 UYU 7,557

-61.32%

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

$16.49 PEN 56.6

$20.54 UYU 824

-19.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.80 PEN 95.5

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-37.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 PEN 25.22

$11.95 UYU 480

-38.58%

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

$181 PEN 622

$634 UYU 25.5K

-71.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

19.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$102 UYU 4,099

-48.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 PEN 121

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-38.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 PEN 282

$127 UYU 5,079

-35.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$128 UYU 5,131

-38.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

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)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

5.74

55.75%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$186 32.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 78.8% $146

Eating Out

La Merced

$122 21.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 121% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$117 20.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 117% $137

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$112 19.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 66.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$15 * 2.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 430% $63

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 493% $70

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $332 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

15:08 3:08 PM

2 h ahead of La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Merced Montevideo 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 213% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in La Merced and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in La Merced and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 213%.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in La Merced and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Merced costs $565 versus $1,771 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 La Merced. 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.