Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mercedes and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mercedes: $1,293 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mercedes
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,293
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,293 per month in Mercedes vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Mercedes $1,293
  • Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,970 per month in Mercedes vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Mercedes $1,970
  • Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Mercedes vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Mercedes $2,647
  • Montevideo $3,708

Mercedes is about 27% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Mercedes sits 4% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.84 UYU 595
$15.16 UYU 609
-2.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.3 UYU 2,501
$69.2 UYU 2,776
-9.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.30 UYU 574
$14.65 UYU 588
-2.39%
Cappuccino
$2.52 UYU 101
$4.46 UYU 179
-43.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 UYU 110
$2.67 UYU 107
2.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 UYU 37.27
$2.00 UYU 80.4
-53.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 UYU 102
$4.83 UYU 194
-47.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.81 UYU 153
$3.80 UYU 152
0.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 UYU 53.2
$1.36 UYU 54.8
-2.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.89 UYU 116
$2.87 UYU 115
0.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 UYU 58.4
$1.75 UYU 70.2
-17.14%
Eggs
$2.79 UYU 112
$4.68 UYU 188
-40.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.95 UYU 560
$13.88 UYU 557
0.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.88 UYU 477
$11.98 UYU 481
-0.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.56 UYU 304
$11.97 UYU 480
-36.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 UYU 80.7
$2.78 UYU 111
-27.70%
Banana (1kg)
$2.51 UYU 101
$2.74 UYU 110
-8.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.09 UYU 43.65
$1.77 UYU 71.2
-38.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.95 UYU 119
$3.24 UYU 130
-8.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.98 UYU 79.4
$1.97 UYU 79.2
0.51%
Onion (1kg)
$2.14 UYU 86.0
$2.07 UYU 83.1
3.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.34 UYU 54.0
$1.37 UYU 55.1
-2.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 UYU 68.8
$1.88 UYU 75.3
-9.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.06 UYU 203
$5.59 UYU 224
-9.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.96 UYU 359
$8.78 UYU 352
2.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 UYU 92.8
$2.26 UYU 90.9
2.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 UYU 111
$2.75 UYU 110
0.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
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)
$1.82 UYU 73.2
$1.91 UYU 76.7
-4.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.44 UYU 17.54
$0.40 UYU 16.18
10.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.48 UYU 421
$10.33 UYU 415
1.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 UYU 89.3
$2.13 UYU 85.6
4.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
-1.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.1K UYU 1.5M
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
2.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 UYU 7,680
$188 UYU 7,557
1.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.03 UYU 844
$20.54 UYU 824
2.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.67 UYU 1,793
$44.81 UYU 1,798
-0.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$54.0 UYU 2,166
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.75 UYU 793
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.15 UYU 488
$11.95 UYU 480
1.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$613 UYU 24.6K
$634 UYU 25.5K
-3.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.9K UYU 435.7K
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
-1.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 UYU 4,192
$102 UYU 4,099
2.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.1 UYU 2,250
$57.5 UYU 2,309
-2.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 UYU 5,005
$127 UYU 5,079
-1.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 UYU 5,255
$128 UYU 5,131
2.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$581 UYU 23.3K
$719 UYU 28.8K
-19.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$296 UYU 11.9K
$568 UYU 22.8K
-47.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 UYU 24.9K
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
-45.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$446 UYU 17.9K
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
-56.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,032 UYU 121.7K
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
-10.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,007 UYU 80.5K
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
2.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mercedes
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.74
5.74
-

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

Last update for Mercedes: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mercedes
$298
Montevideo
$332 11.1% $33
Accommodation & Living
Mercedes
$296
Montevideo
$568 92.2% $272
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mercedes
$257
Montevideo
$254 1.3% $3.4
Eating Out
Mercedes
$227
Montevideo
$269 18.7% $42
Clothing & Footwear
Mercedes
$187
Montevideo
$186 0.5% $0.9
Sport & Entertainment
Mercedes
$24 *
Montevideo
$78 220% $54
Getting Around
Mercedes
$4 *
Montevideo
$84 2003% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $581 in Mercedes versus $719 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Mercedes versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $332 – making Mercedes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Mercedes
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
21:15 9:15 PM
21:15 9:15 PM
Same time as Mercedes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
41,975
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
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  • Mercedes Montevideo 250 km
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  • Mercedes
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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
Mercedes vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mercedes or Montevideo?
Montevideo costs about 37% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mercedes and in Montevideo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Mercedes and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mercedes or Montevideo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mercedes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Mercedes and in Montevideo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Mercedes and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Mercedes or in Montevideo?
Groceries cost about 11% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mercedes or in Montevideo?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mercedes, where all-in costs run around $1,293, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Mercedes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mercedes or Montevideo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mercedes costs $1,293 versus $1,771 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Mercedes compared to Montevideo?
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.
Should I move to Mercedes or to Montevideo?
If budget matters most, go with Mercedes. 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.

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