Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Lisbon $2,210
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,784 in Montevideo.

Lisbon $3,275
Montevideo $2,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,797 in Montevideo.

Lisbon $4,341
Montevideo $3,797

Living in Lisbon is roughly 25% more expensive than in Montevideo.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Montevideo 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$15.63 UYU 629

6.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$69.9 UYU 2,812

-11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$14.51 UYU 584

-21.71%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$4.43 UYU 178

-32.96%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$2.49 UYU 100

-8.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.95 UYU 78.5

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$4.78 UYU 192

-28.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.67 UYU 148

-9.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.26 UYU 50.6

-7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.98 UYU 120

-35.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.74 UYU 70.1

-13.22%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$4.80 UYU 193

-16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$14.06 UYU 565

-7.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$11.35 UYU 457

-31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$12.16 UYU 489

46.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.74 UYU 110

-16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.83 UYU 114

-38.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.63 UYU 65.4

14.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$3.18 UYU 128

-18.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.02 UYU 81.1

-9.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$2.13 UYU 85.5

-7.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.39 UYU 56.0

5.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$1.94 UYU 78.2

-62.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$5.34 UYU 215

23.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$8.31 UYU 334

-32.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.35 UYU 94.3

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.80 UYU 113

-23.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.55 UYU 62.4

50.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$74.9 UYU 3,013

-40.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.91 UYU 76.9

101.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.41 UYU 16.55

160.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$10.38 UYU 417

58.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.23 UYU 89.5

-1.35%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

28.85%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

8.02%

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

$161 €145

$184 UYU 7,392

-12.29%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$20.15 UYU 810

-8.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$43.24 UYU 1,739

-24.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$48.47 UYU 1,949

-8.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$19.71 UYU 792

-3.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$12.11 UYU 487

-20.73%

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

$668 €600

$636 UYU 25.6K

5.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

60.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$101 UYU 4,050

1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$56.9 UYU 2,289

-21.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$123 UYU 4,937

-19.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$130 UYU 5,241

-5.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$747 UYU 30.0K

115.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$581 UYU 23.3K

104.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

119.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

78.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

114.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

125.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

22.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.65

-31.86%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Montevideo

$581 32.8% 51.2% $610

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Montevideo

$330 18.6% 21.3% $58

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Montevideo

$271 15.3% 11.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Montevideo

$247 14% 16.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Montevideo

$185 10.4% 11.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Montevideo

$73 4.1% 14% $8.9

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Montevideo

$85 4.8% 34.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $747 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 23% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $70 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $330 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

3 h behind Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.77 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Montevideo 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 23% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $747 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $636 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Montevideo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Lisbon and Montevideo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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