Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Terrenas and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $873 in Las Terrenas versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Las Terrenas $873
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,843 in Las Terrenas versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Las Terrenas $1,843
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,813 in Las Terrenas versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Las Terrenas $2,813
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Las Terrenas costs roughly 51% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Las Terrenas is 35% below, Montevideo is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.27 DOP 506

$15.16 UYU 609

-45.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.34 DOP 2,532

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-40.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 DOP 312

$14.65 UYU 588

-65.26%

Cappuccino

$1.02 DOP 62.7

$4.46 UYU 179

-77.13%

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

$0.67 DOP 40.74

$2.67 UYU 107

-74.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 DOP 24.74

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 154

$4.83 UYU 194

-47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 DOP 237

$3.80 UYU 152

1.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 DOP 60.5

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-27.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 DOP 69.1

$2.87 UYU 115

-60.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 65.7

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-38.86%

Eggs

$1.19 DOP 72.7

$4.68 UYU 188

-74.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.09 DOP 373

$13.88 UYU 557

-56.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 DOP 215

$11.98 UYU 481

-70.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.66 DOP 286

$11.97 UYU 480

-61.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 DOP 138

$2.78 UYU 111

-19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 DOP 38.64

$2.74 UYU 110

-77.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 133

$1.77 UYU 71.2

22.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 DOP 137

$3.24 UYU 130

-31.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 DOP 134

$1.97 UYU 79.2

10.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 65.4

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 57.3

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-31.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.9

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-47.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 DOP 289

$5.59 UYU 224

-15.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.04 DOP 431

$8.78 UYU 352

-19.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 DOP 144

$2.26 UYU 90.9

3.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 DOP 120

$2.75 UYU 110

-28.73%

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)

$2.51 DOP 154

$1.91 UYU 76.7

31.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 DOP 200

$0.40 UYU 16.18

717.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 DOP 70.0

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-46.48%

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

$19.7K DOP 1.2M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-27.34%

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

$24.2K DOP 1.5M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-33.18%

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

$50.4 DOP 3,084

$188 UYU 7,557

-73.26%

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

$9.94 DOP 609

$20.54 UYU 824

-51.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.91 DOP 1,220

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-55.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 DOP 306

$11.95 UYU 480

-58.16%

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

$100 DOP 6,143

$634 UYU 25.5K

-84.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,338 DOP 327.0K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-51.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.30 DOP 1,672

$102 UYU 4,099

-73.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.76 DOP 2,742

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-22.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 DOP 3,856

$127 UYU 5,079

-50.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 DOP 4,079

$128 UYU 5,131

-47.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 DOP 47.2K

$719 UYU 28.8K

7.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 DOP 23.7K

$568 UYU 22.8K

-31.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 DOP 101.3K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

44.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 DOP 100.5K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

60.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,789 DOP 109.6K

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-47.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 DOP 25.0K

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-67.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

91.64%

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

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Las Terrenas

$386 44.3%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 47% $181

Groceries & Markets

Las Terrenas

$169 19.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 96.6% $163

Eating Out

Las Terrenas

$118 13.6%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 128% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Las Terrenas

$91 10.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 105% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Terrenas

$80 9.2%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 216% $173

Getting Around

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 347% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Las Terrenas

$10 * 1.1%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 680% $68

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 $770 in Las Terrenas and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 205% 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: $41.00 in Las Terrenas vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $332 per month, with Las Terrenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:12 8:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

1 h ahead of Las Terrenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,713

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

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).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Las Terrenas Montevideo 6,190 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Terrenas
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

Las Terrenas vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 103% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 205% 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: $770 in Las Terrenas versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $100 in Las Terrenas versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $873 in Las Terrenas versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Las Terrenas but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Las Terrenas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Las Terrenas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $873 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Las Terrenas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Las Terrenas 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 Las Terrenas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.