Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Romana and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

La Romana
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$631
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $631 per month in La Romana vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • La Romana $631
  • Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,014 per month in La Romana vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • La Romana $1,014
  • Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,398 per month in La Romana vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • La Romana $1,398
  • Montevideo $3,708

La Romana is about 64% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

La Romana sits 53% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.43 DOP 516
$15.16 UYU 609
-44.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.80 DOP 2,499
$69.2 UYU 2,776
-41.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.16 DOP 439
$14.65 UYU 588
-51.13%
Cappuccino
$1.75 DOP 107
$4.46 UYU 179
-60.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 DOP 43.32
$2.67 UYU 107
-73.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 DOP 19.33
$2.00 UYU 80.4
-84.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.43 DOP 149
$4.83 UYU 194
-49.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.97 DOP 244
$3.80 UYU 152
4.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 DOP 64.1
$1.36 UYU 54.8
-22.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.80 DOP 110
$2.87 UYU 115
-37.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 DOP 92.3
$1.75 UYU 70.2
-13.71%
Eggs
$1.48 DOP 91.0
$4.68 UYU 188
-68.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.28 DOP 384
$13.88 UYU 557
-54.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.53 DOP 216
$11.98 UYU 481
-70.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.62 DOP 283
$11.97 UYU 480
-61.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 DOP 221
$2.78 UYU 111
29.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 DOP 84.3
$2.74 UYU 110
-49.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.23 DOP 198
$1.77 UYU 71.2
82.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 DOP 131
$3.24 UYU 130
-34.26%
Potato (1kg)
$3.58 DOP 220
$1.97 UYU 79.2
81.73%
Onion (1kg)
$2.87 DOP 176
$2.07 UYU 83.1
38.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.88 DOP 53.9
$1.37 UYU 55.1
-35.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 DOP 98.2
$1.88 UYU 75.3
-14.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.66 DOP 285
$5.59 UYU 224
-16.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.45 DOP 1,007
$8.78 UYU 352
87.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.00 DOP 184
$2.26 UYU 90.9
32.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 DOP 213
$2.75 UYU 110
26.55%
🚌 Getting Around
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
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)
$2.49 DOP 153
$1.91 UYU 76.7
30.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.23 DOP 198
$0.40 UYU 16.18
707.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.33 UYU 415
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 DOP 85.1
$2.13 UYU 85.6
-34.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$15.1K DOP 922.4K
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
-44.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K DOP 1.6M
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
-29.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.3 DOP 5,837
$188 UYU 7,557
-49.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.68 DOP 593
$20.54 UYU 824
-52.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.12 DOP 2,397
$44.81 UYU 1,798
-12.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$54.0 UYU 2,166
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.75 UYU 793
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.97 DOP 305
$11.95 UYU 480
-58.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$146 DOP 8,946
$634 UYU 25.5K
-76.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,480 DOP 335.7K
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
-50.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.84 DOP 1,644
$102 UYU 4,099
-73.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.24 DOP 2,772
$57.5 UYU 2,309
-21.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.6 DOP 3,713
$127 UYU 5,079
-52.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.0 DOP 4,104
$128 UYU 5,131
-47.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
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
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
La Romana
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
5.74
91.64%

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

Last update for La Romana: 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 Romana
$235
Montevideo
$332 41.2% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
La Romana
$144
Montevideo
$254 76% $110
Eating Out
La Romana
$134
Montevideo
$269 101% $135
Clothing & Footwear
La Romana
$90
Montevideo
$186 107% $96
Getting Around
La Romana
$19 *
Montevideo
$84 352% $66
Sport & Entertainment
La Romana
$9.9 *
Montevideo
$78 683% $68
Accommodation & Living
La Romana
- *
Montevideo
$568

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 $41.00 in La Romana versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $332 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇴 La Romana
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
08:20 8:20 AM
09:20 9:20 AM
1 h ahead of La Romana
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
567,431
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • La Romana Montevideo 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • La Romana
  • 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 Romana vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than La Romana?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 180%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $947 per month in La Romana and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in La Romana and in Montevideo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $631 in La Romana and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 180%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $146 per month in La Romana and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in La Romana or in Montevideo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is La Romana or Montevideo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward La Romana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, La Romana or Montevideo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with La Romana. 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.

La Romana vs other spots: cost of living compared

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