Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luquillo and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Luquillo: $1,260 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
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Luquillo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,260

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,260 in Luquillo versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Luquillo $1,260
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,013 in Luquillo versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Luquillo $2,013
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,766 in Luquillo versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Luquillo $2,766
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Luquillo costs roughly 29% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Luquillo is 7% below, Montevideo is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 $19.51

$15.16 UYU 609

28.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.9 $80.9

$69.2 UYU 2,776

17.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 $9.07

$14.65 UYU 588

-38.09%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$4.46 UYU 179

-20.18%

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

$1.60 $1.60

$2.67 UYU 107

-40.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-27.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.83 UYU 194

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$3.80 UYU 152

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.36 UYU 54.8

63.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.87 UYU 115

23.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.75 UYU 70.2

32.57%

Eggs

$7.61 $7.61

$4.68 UYU 188

62.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.44 $12.44

$13.88 UYU 557

-10.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$11.98 UYU 481

-19.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 $13.39

$11.97 UYU 480

11.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.78 UYU 111

77.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.74 UYU 110

-7.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.77 UYU 71.2

167.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.24 UYU 130

51.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.97 UYU 79.2

89.85%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.07 UYU 83.1

93.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.37 UYU 55.1

149.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-11.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.86 $11.86

$5.59 UYU 224

112.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 $12.10

$8.78 UYU 352

37.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.26 UYU 90.9

34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.75 UYU 110

43.27%

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)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.91 UYU 76.7

32.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.40 UYU 16.18

285.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.93 $41.93

$10.33 UYU 415

305.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-60.09%

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

$39.8K $39.8K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

46.78%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-23.52%

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

$274 $274

$188 UYU 7,557

45.29%

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

$69.4 $69.4

$20.54 UYU 824

237.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$44.81 UYU 1,798

54.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 $10.51

$11.95 UYU 480

-12.05%

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

$825 $825

$634 UYU 25.5K

30.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

12.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$57.5 UYU 2,309

6.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$127 UYU 5,079

-14.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$128 UYU 5,131

-12.64%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,190 $4,190

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

236.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.74

14.11%

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

Last update for Luquillo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luquillo

$412 32.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 38.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Luquillo

$406 32.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 18.4% $75

Eating Out

Luquillo

$258 20.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 4.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Luquillo

$152 12%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 22.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 270% $57

Getting Around

Luquillo

$10 * 0.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 723% $74

Accommodation & Living

Luquillo

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays 237% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Luquillo vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h ahead of Luquillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Luquillo Montevideo 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Luquillo
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

Luquillo vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luquillo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 237% higher in Luquillo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,260 per month in Luquillo versus $1,771 in Montevideo – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,260 in Luquillo versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Luquillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Luquillo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Luquillo 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 Luquillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.