Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lazaro Cardenas and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas: $1,141 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Lazaro Cardenas
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Lazaro Cardenas Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Lazaro Cardenas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

Lazaro Cardenas $1,141
Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

Lazaro Cardenas $1,839
Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

Lazaro Cardenas $2,537
Montevideo $3,728

Living in Lazaro Cardenas costs roughly 36% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lazaro Cardenas is 16% below, Montevideo is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.83 MX$203

$14.82 UYU 594

-26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 MX$817

$69.7 UYU 2,794

-37.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 MX$163

$14.68 UYU 589

-40.74%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.6

$4.65 UYU 186

-22.37%

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

$1.42 MX$26.59

$2.74 UYU 110

-48.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.24

$2.07 UYU 82.8

-50.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 MX$46.92

$4.79 UYU 192

-47.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 MX$74.7

$3.63 UYU 145

9.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.06

$1.39 UYU 55.7

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 MX$47.41

$2.89 UYU 116

-12.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MX$31.19

$1.70 UYU 68.0

-1.76%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$45.51

$4.62 UYU 185

-47.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$153

$14.22 UYU 570

-42.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 MX$159

$11.62 UYU 466

-26.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 MX$212

$12.23 UYU 490

-7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 MX$49.98

$2.77 UYU 111

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MX$29.74

$2.85 UYU 114

-44.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.65

$1.81 UYU 72.4

4.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.27

$3.20 UYU 128

-42.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.05

$1.94 UYU 77.7

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.61

$2.16 UYU 86.4

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.75

$1.43 UYU 57.2

3.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$20.23

$1.94 UYU 77.8

-44.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$80.8

$5.47 UYU 219

-21.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 MX$193

$8.95 UYU 359

15.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$32.88

$2.26 UYU 90.7

-22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$2.81 UYU 113

13.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.92

$1.56 UYU 62.6

-55.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,959

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 MX$47.26

$1.90 UYU 76.1

33.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 MX$35.92

$0.43 UYU 17.34

346.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.01 MX$206

$10.59 UYU 425

3.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.62

$2.12 UYU 85.1

-30.19%

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

$21.1K MX$395.7K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-21.09%

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

$23.8K MX$445.7K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-35.63%

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

$58.7 MX$1,099

$193 UYU 7,717

-69.50%

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

$22.31 MX$417

$20.91 UYU 838

6.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.94 MX$560

$44.89 UYU 1,799

-33.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 MX$642

$50.8 UYU 2,035

-32.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.49 MX$384

$19.73 UYU 791

3.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.11 MX$95.7

$12.30 UYU 493

-58.46%

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

$221 MX$4,141

$629 UYU 25.2K

-64.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,553 MX$85.2K

$10.9K UYU 436.7K

-58.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 MX$1,035

$104 UYU 4,160

-46.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.96 MX$748

$57.4 UYU 2,302

-30.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 MX$1,867

$125 UYU 5,003

-20.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,687

$132 UYU 5,308

-31.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 MX$11.3K

$713 UYU 28.6K

-15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 MX$7,352

$575 UYU 23.1K

-31.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 MX$19.8K

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

-9.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 MX$14.6K

$1,033 UYU 41.4K

-24.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,921 MX$36.0K

$3,418 UYU 137.0K

-43.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,169 MX$21.9K

$1,760 UYU 70.5K

-33.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$552 MX$10.3K

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

-55.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.74

96.86%

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

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: 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

Lazaro Cardenas

$393 34.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 46.5% $183

Groceries & Markets

Lazaro Cardenas

$263 23.1%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 26.8% $71

Eating Out

Lazaro Cardenas

$186 16.3%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 44.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Lazaro Cardenas

$128 11.3%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 46.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lazaro Cardenas

$111 9.7%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 133% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Lazaro Cardenas

$45 3.9%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 69.3% $31

Getting Around

Lazaro Cardenas

$15 * 1.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 465% $69

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 $602 in Lazaro Cardenas and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Lazaro Cardenas vs $70 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $334 per month, with Lazaro Cardenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

3 h ahead of Lazaro Cardenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,637

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 40.08 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.97 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lazaro Cardenas Montevideo 7,620 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lazaro Cardenas
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

Lazaro Cardenas vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Lazaro Cardenas. 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: $602 in Lazaro Cardenas versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $221 in Lazaro Cardenas 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 Lazaro Cardenas – a meal for two runs $44 versus $70 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lazaro Cardenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Lazaro Cardenas wins on affordability, Montevideo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.