Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $824 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$824

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $824 per month in Masaya vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Masaya $824
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,287 per month in Masaya vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Masaya $1,287
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,749 per month in Masaya vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Masaya $1,749
Montevideo $3,708

Masaya is about 53% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Masaya sits 39% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.03 NIO 367

$15.16 UYU 609

-33.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.86 NIO 1,277

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-49.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 NIO 287

$14.65 UYU 588

-46.55%

Cappuccino

$2.55 NIO 93.6

$4.46 UYU 179

-42.83%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.39

$2.67 UYU 107

-65.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 NIO 25.47

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$4.83 UYU 194

-69.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NIO 81.9

$3.80 UYU 152

-41.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 NIO 46.37

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-6.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 NIO 85.4

$2.87 UYU 115

-18.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 NIO 68.2

$1.75 UYU 70.2

6.29%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.2

$4.68 UYU 188

-49.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 NIO 418

$13.88 UYU 557

-17.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 NIO 238

$11.98 UYU 481

-45.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 NIO 277

$11.97 UYU 480

-36.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 NIO 144

$2.78 UYU 111

41.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 NIO 22.40

$2.74 UYU 110

-77.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$1.77 UYU 71.2

3.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 NIO 92.6

$3.24 UYU 130

-21.91%

Potato (1kg)

$4.04 NIO 148

$1.97 UYU 79.2

105.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NIO 83.3

$2.07 UYU 83.1

9.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 NIO 38.71

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-22.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 NIO 37.06

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-46.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$5.59 UYU 224

-49.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.46 NIO 530

$8.78 UYU 352

64.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 NIO 53.9

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 NIO 81.8

$2.75 UYU 110

-18.91%

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)

$1.67 NIO 61.2

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-12.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 NIO 59.2

$0.40 UYU 16.18

305.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.92 NIO 254

$10.33 UYU 415

-33.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 NIO 47.98

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-38.50%

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

$23.3K NIO 855.0K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-13.89%

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

$26.8K NIO 980.3K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-26.19%

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

$154 NIO 5,651

$188 UYU 7,557

-18.06%

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

$19.49 NIO 714

$20.54 UYU 824

-5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 NIO 1,196

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-27.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 NIO 329

$11.95 UYU 480

-24.77%

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

$232 NIO 8,481

$634 UYU 25.5K

-63.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,944 NIO 217.7K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-46.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 NIO 2,189

$102 UYU 4,099

-41.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.6 NIO 2,364

$57.5 UYU 2,309

12.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 NIO 4,553

$127 UYU 5,079

-1.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,367

$128 UYU 5,131

14.62%

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)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

5.74

107.67%

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

Last update for Masaya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masaya

$259 31.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 27.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 22.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$178 21.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 4.8% $8.5

Eating Out

Masaya

$153 18.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 76.4% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 333% $60

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.8 * 1.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 765% $75

Accommodation & Living

Masaya

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Masaya versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $332 – making Masaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

3 h ahead of Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Masaya Montevideo 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Masaya
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

Masaya vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 115%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,236 per month in Masaya and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Masaya and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $824, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Masaya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Masaya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.