Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maldonado and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

Maldonado $1,368
Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,178 in Maldonado versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

Maldonado $2,178
Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,988 in Maldonado versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

Maldonado $2,988
Montevideo $3,728

Living in Maldonado costs roughly 23% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Maldonado 1% above, Montevideo 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.87 UYU 597

$14.82 UYU 595

0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 UYU 2,202

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-21.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 UYU 558

$14.68 UYU 589

-5.25%

Cappuccino

$4.57 UYU 183

$4.65 UYU 186

-1.72%

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

$2.65 UYU 106

$2.74 UYU 110

-3.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 UYU 84.2

$2.07 UYU 82.9

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 UYU 118

$4.79 UYU 192

-38.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 UYU 145

$3.63 UYU 146

-0.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.19

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.89 UYU 116

-6.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.1

$1.70 UYU 68.1

4.12%

Eggs

$3.98 UYU 160

$4.62 UYU 185

-13.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 UYU 566

$14.22 UYU 571

-0.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.31 UYU 454

$11.62 UYU 466

-2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.61 UYU 466

$12.23 UYU 491

-5.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 UYU 112

$2.77 UYU 111

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 UYU 86.0

$2.85 UYU 114

-24.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.81 UYU 72.5

-3.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 UYU 126

$3.20 UYU 129

-1.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.2

$1.94 UYU 77.8

3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-7.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.4

$1.43 UYU 57.3

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.3

$1.94 UYU 77.9

0.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 UYU 221

$5.47 UYU 219

0.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 UYU 326

$8.95 UYU 359

-9.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.3

$2.26 UYU 90.8

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 UYU 109

$2.81 UYU 113

-3.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 UYU 56.8

$1.56 UYU 62.6

-9.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.89 UYU 1,962

$73.8 UYU 2,962

-33.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UYU 136

$1.90 UYU 76.2

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 UYU 17.53

$0.43 UYU 17.36

2.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 UYU 411

$10.59 UYU 425

-3.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 UYU 89.9

$2.12 UYU 85.2

5.66%

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

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-0.62%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-0.04%

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

$116 UYU 4,644

$193 UYU 7,727

-39.90%

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

$19.18 UYU 770

$20.91 UYU 839

-8.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.04 UYU 1,808

$44.89 UYU 1,802

0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 UYU 1,936

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-5.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.20 UYU 1,212

$19.73 UYU 792

53.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 UYU 484

$12.30 UYU 494

-2.03%

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

$496 UYU 19.9K

$629 UYU 25.2K

-21.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

-40.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 UYU 3,625

$104 UYU 4,166

-12.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 UYU 1,498

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-34.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,014

$125 UYU 5,010

0.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 UYU 4,729

$132 UYU 5,315

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 UYU 17.1K

$713 UYU 28.6K

-40.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 UYU 12.7K

$575 UYU 23.1K

-45.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 UYU 36.9K

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

-21.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 UYU 24.1K

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

-41.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-18.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

-12.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

-18.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-12.89%

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

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maldonado

$317 23.2%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 5.2% $17

Accommodation & Living

Maldonado

$315 23.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 82.4% $260

Eating Out

Maldonado

$257 18.8%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 4.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maldonado

$180 13.2%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 43.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Maldonado

$167 12.2%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 13% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Maldonado

$72 5.3%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 4.2% $3

Getting Around

Maldonado

$60 4.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 39.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Maldonado and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo 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: $55.0 in Maldonado vs $70.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $317 vs $334 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:13 3:13 AM

Same time as Maldonado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,592

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Maldonado Montevideo 110 km

From you

Maldonado
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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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maldonado and Montevideo differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,368 vs $1,784 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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: $426 in Maldonado versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $496 in Maldonado versus $629 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,784 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. 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 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.