Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Paz and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in La Paz: $532 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in La Paz
Learn more

La Paz Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

La Paz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$532

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $532 in La Paz versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

La Paz $532
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $811 in La Paz versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

La Paz $811
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,090 in La Paz versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

La Paz $1,090
Montevideo $3,750

Living in La Paz costs roughly 71% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: La Paz is 60% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.33 BOB 27.37

$15.26 UYU 613

-84.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.03 BOB 118

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-85.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.43 BOB 52.2

$14.37 UYU 578

-69.17%

Cappuccino

$1.77 BOB 20.79

$4.64 UYU 187

-61.85%

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

$0.72 BOB 8.49

$2.73 UYU 110

-73.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 BOB 5.98

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-75.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 BOB 16.36

$4.75 UYU 191

-70.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 BOB 30.19

$3.67 UYU 147

-29.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 BOB 8.76

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-46.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 BOB 11.19

$2.77 UYU 112

-65.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 BOB 9.90

$1.69 UYU 67.8

-50.30%

Eggs

$1.31 BOB 15.39

$4.52 UYU 182

-71.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.83 BOB 45.12

$14.17 UYU 570

-72.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 BOB 43.11

$12.07 UYU 485

-69.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 BOB 56.1

$12.16 UYU 489

-60.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 BOB 21.26

$2.87 UYU 116

-36.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.53 BOB 6.28

$2.75 UYU 110

-80.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.53 BOB 6.24

$1.73 UYU 69.5

-69.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.82 BOB 9.63

$3.24 UYU 130

-74.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 BOB 7.50

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-69.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 BOB 6.57

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-72.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 BOB 6.82

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-57.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BOB 8.43

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-61.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 BOB 24.17

$5.57 UYU 224

-63.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.26 BOB 38.32

$8.89 UYU 357

-63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 BOB 16.64

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-38.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 BOB 20.19

$2.70 UYU 109

-36.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 BOB 2.71

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-84.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.90 BOB 211

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-75.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 BOB 13.01

$1.82 UYU 73.4

-39.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 BOB 11.13

$0.40 UYU 16.05

137.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.21 BOB 108

$10.66 UYU 429

-13.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 BOB 6.37

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-75.68%

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

$9,859 BOB 116.0K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-63.14%

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

$13.0K BOB 153.1K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-64.60%

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

$24.84 BOB 292

$191 UYU 7,674

-86.98%

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

$15.13 BOB 178

$20.40 UYU 820

-25.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.86 BOB 234

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-55.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.36 BOB 204

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-67.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.48 BOB 123

$19.68 UYU 791

-46.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.20 BOB 49.39

$12.33 UYU 496

-65.94%

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

$135 BOB 1,592

$613 UYU 24.7K

-77.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,435 BOB 16.9K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-87.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.38 BOB 205

$103 UYU 4,134

-83.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.10 BOB 319

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-51.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.71 BOB 526

$124 UYU 5,000

-64.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.41 BOB 440

$130 UYU 5,214

-71.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 BOB 3,258

$705 UYU 28.4K

-60.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 BOB 2,143

$575 UYU 23.1K

-68.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 BOB 4,876

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-63.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 BOB 3,837

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-67.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,225 BOB 14.4K

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-63.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$520 BOB 6,119

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-73.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$273 BOB 3,213

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-77.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

5.74

38.33%

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

Last update for La Paz: 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

La Paz

$182 33.8%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 216% $393

Groceries & Markets

La Paz

$119 22.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 179% $213

Eating Out

La Paz

$70 13%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 287% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Paz

$60 11.1%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 327% $196

Clothing & Footwear

La Paz

$57 10.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 226% $129

Sport & Entertainment

La Paz

$26 4.8%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 206% $53

Getting Around

La Paz

$25 4.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 239% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in La Paz and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 350% 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: $10.00 in La Paz vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $119 vs $332 per month, with La Paz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇴 La Paz

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

1 h ahead of La Paz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,900 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.5 USD

100 BOB = 7.58 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.77 BOB (100 BOB = 8.5 USD). 1 EUR = 13.2 BOB (100 BOB = 7.58 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to BOB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Paz Montevideo 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

La Paz and Montevideo differ by about 241% in total monthly costs ($532 vs $1,813 including rent). La Paz is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 350% 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: $277 in La Paz versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $532 per month in La Paz versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 241% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in La Paz runs roughly 312% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $532 in La Paz versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in La Paz but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes La Paz 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, La Paz 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 La Paz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 241% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.