Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Lima $996
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Lima $1,594
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Lima $2,191
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Lima costs roughly 45% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lima is 26% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$15.26 UYU 613

-71.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-48.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$14.37 UYU 577

-52.40%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$4.64 UYU 186

-29.53%

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

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$2.73 UYU 110

-59.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-68.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$4.75 UYU 191

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$3.67 UYU 147

21.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.38 UYU 55.4

15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$2.77 UYU 111

-6.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$1.69 UYU 67.7

-19.53%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$4.52 UYU 182

-34.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$14.17 UYU 569

-35.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$12.07 UYU 485

-51.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$12.16 UYU 488

-19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$2.87 UYU 115

-29.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$2.75 UYU 110

-60.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.73 UYU 69.4

-20.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$3.24 UYU 130

-54.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-53.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-58.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-36.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-52.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$5.57 UYU 224

5.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$8.89 UYU 357

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$2.70 UYU 108

18.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-55.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

$73.7 UYU 2,958

-63.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$1.82 UYU 73.3

109.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$0.40 UYU 16.02

410.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$10.66 UYU 428

-33.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-25.68%

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

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-17.08%

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

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-30.14%

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

$73.0 PEN 251

$191 UYU 7,662

-61.73%

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

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$20.40 UYU 819

-20.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-37.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-38.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$19.68 UYU 790

-0.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$12.33 UYU 495

-40.06%

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

$182 PEN 626

$613 UYU 24.6K

-70.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

20.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$103 UYU 4,128

-48.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-38.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$124 UYU 4,993

-32.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$130 UYU 5,207

-39.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$705 UYU 28.3K

2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$575 UYU 23.1K

-40.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

4.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-37.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

-26.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

-29.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-46.91%

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 Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 69.2% $235

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 46.9% $106

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 119% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 119% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 65.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 64.7% $31

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 92.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 88% 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: $35.00 in Lima vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $332 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lima Montevideo 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
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

Lima vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Montevideo differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,813 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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: $723 in Lima versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $613 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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, Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.