Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Maldonado and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Maldonado and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Maldonado $1,368
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,178 in Maldonado versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Maldonado $2,178
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,988 in Maldonado versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Maldonado $2,988
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Maldonado costs roughly 12% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maldonado 1% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 UYU 597

$11.02 MX$204

34.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 UYU 2,202

$48.68 MX$900

12.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 UYU 558

$10.90 MX$201

27.61%

Cappuccino

$4.57 UYU 183

$3.68 MX$68.1

24.18%

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

$2.65 UYU 106

$1.63 MX$30.18

62.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 UYU 84.2

$1.25 MX$23.07

68.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 UYU 118

$3.25 MX$60.1

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 UYU 145

$5.53 MX$102

-34.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.19

$1.70 MX$31.50

-33.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.02 MX$55.8

-10.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$1.92 MX$35.53

-7.81%

Eggs

$3.98 UYU 160

$2.73 MX$50.5

45.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 UYU 566

$11.77 MX$218

19.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 UYU 454

$9.53 MX$176

18.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 UYU 466

$14.41 MX$266

-19.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 UYU 112

$3.02 MX$55.8

-7.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 UYU 86.0

$1.89 MX$35.01

13.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.99 MX$36.70

-12.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 UYU 126

$2.19 MX$40.38

43.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.2

$1.92 MX$35.43

4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.87 MX$34.49

6.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.4

$1.44 MX$26.62

-0.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$1.27 MX$23.39

53.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 UYU 221

$5.22 MX$96.4

5.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 UYU 326

$16.17 MX$299

-49.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.3

$1.90 MX$35.03

22.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$4.22 MX$78.0

-35.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 UYU 56.8

$0.34 MX$6.30

314.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.89 UYU 1,962

$19.65 MX$363

148.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UYU 136

$2.00 MX$36.90

70.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 UYU 17.53

$0.52 MX$9.67

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 UYU 411

$5.34 MX$98.7

91.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 UYU 89.9

$1.52 MX$28.13

47.37%

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

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

20.61%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$24.5K MX$452.9K

50.87%

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

$116 UYU 4,644

$61.1 MX$1,129

89.45%

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

$19.18 UYU 770

$28.58 MX$528

-32.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.04 UYU 1,808

$34.47 MX$637

30.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 UYU 1,936

$56.4 MX$1,042

-14.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.20 UYU 1,212

$24.88 MX$460

21.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 UYU 484

$6.66 MX$123

80.93%

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

$496 UYU 19.9K

$427 MX$7,891

16.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-44.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 UYU 3,625

$67.8 MX$1,253

33.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 UYU 1,498

$52.0 MX$960

-28.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,014

$106 MX$1,959

17.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 UYU 4,729

$113 MX$2,080

4.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 UYU 17.1K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-58.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 UYU 12.7K

$654 MX$12.1K

-51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 UYU 36.9K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-60.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 UYU 24.1K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-51.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-22.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-20.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

$964 MX$17.8K

5.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-55.75%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$317 23.2%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 0.4% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$315 23.1%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 107% $339

Eating Out

Maldonado

$257 18.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 20.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$180 13.2%

Mexico City

$124 8% 31% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$167 12.2%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 8.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$72 5.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 3.7% $2.7

Getting Around

Maldonado

$60 4.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 57.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Maldonado and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Maldonado vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $317 vs $318, with Maldonado cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

21:12 9:12 PM

3 h behind Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maldonado Mexico City 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Maldonado
Mexico City

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

Maldonado vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maldonado and Mexico City differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,548 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Maldonado, 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: $426 in Maldonado versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Maldonado versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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, Maldonado and Mexico City 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.