Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mercedes and Punta del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Mercedes: $1,293 a month against $1,852 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Mercedes
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Mercedes Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Punta del Este
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Punta del Este Living Index

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Mercedes

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,293

/mo nomad

Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mercedes and in Punta del Este

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 Punta del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,293 per month in Mercedes vs $1,852 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Mercedes $1,293
Punta del Este $1,852

A couple spends around $1,970 per month in Mercedes vs $2,687 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Mercedes $1,970
Punta del Este $2,687

A family of three spends $2,647 per month in Mercedes vs $3,522 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Mercedes $2,647
Punta del Este $3,522

Mercedes is about 30% cheaper than Punta del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Mercedes sits 4% below the global median, while Punta del Este is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.84 UYU 595

$13.29 UYU 533

11.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 UYU 2,501

$44.19 UYU 1,773

41.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.30 UYU 574

$13.56 UYU 544

5.46%

Cappuccino

$2.52 UYU 101

$4.59 UYU 184

-45.10%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.38 UYU 95.6

14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 UYU 37.27

$1.98 UYU 79.5

-53.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 UYU 102

$2.91 UYU 117

-13.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 UYU 153

$3.45 UYU 138

10.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 UYU 53.2

$1.17 UYU 47.12

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.70 UYU 108

7.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 UYU 58.4

$1.74 UYU 69.7

-16.67%

Eggs

$2.79 UYU 112

$4.32 UYU 173

-35.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 UYU 560

$11.98 UYU 481

16.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.88 UYU 477

$11.56 UYU 464

2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 UYU 304

$11.91 UYU 478

-36.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$2.81 UYU 113

-28.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 UYU 101

$2.74 UYU 110

-8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 UYU 43.65

$1.71 UYU 68.7

-36.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 UYU 119

$3.09 UYU 124

-4.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 UYU 79.4

$1.93 UYU 77.6

2.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 UYU 86.0

$1.99 UYU 80.1

7.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 UYU 54.0

$1.37 UYU 54.9

-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

$5.40 UYU 217

-6.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.96 UYU 359

$7.88 UYU 316

13.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 UYU 92.8

$2.32 UYU 93.2

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.74 UYU 110

1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 UYU 57.0

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.81 UYU 1,999

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

$0.41 UYU 16.34

7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.48 UYU 421

$9.87 UYU 396

6.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.3

$2.19 UYU 88.0

1.37%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$27.5K UYU 1.1M

-2.74%

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

$37.1K UYU 1.5M

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

-0.43%

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

$191 UYU 7,680

$115 UYU 4,620

66.22%

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

$21.03 UYU 844

$21.17 UYU 850

-0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.67 UYU 1,793

$44.74 UYU 1,795

-0.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 UYU 2,219

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.48 UYU 742

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 UYU 488

$12.31 UYU 494

-1.30%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$491 UYU 19.7K

24.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 435.7K

$6,599 UYU 264.9K

64.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,192

$88.5 UYU 3,550

18.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,250

$37.11 UYU 1,489

51.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,005

$124 UYU 4,959

0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 UYU 5,255

$119 UYU 4,793

9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$1,106 UYU 44.4K

-47.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 UYU 11.9K

$809 UYU 32.5K

-63.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 UYU 24.9K

$1,917 UYU 76.9K

-67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 UYU 17.9K

$1,218 UYU 48.9K

-63.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,032 UYU 121.7K

$3,867 UYU 155.2K

-21.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 UYU 80.5K

$2,025 UYU 81.3K

-0.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,078 UYU 43.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

14.80%

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

Last update for Mercedes: October 10, 2026

Last update for Punta del Este: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mercedes

$298 23.1%

Punta del Este

$316 17.1% 5.8% $17

Accommodation & Living

Mercedes

$296 22.9%

Punta del Este

$809 43.7% 174% $513

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mercedes

$257 19.9%

Punta del Este

$181 9.8% 29.6% $76

Eating Out

Mercedes

$227 17.5%

Punta del Este

$241 13% 6.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Mercedes

$187 14.5%

Punta del Este

$166 9% 11.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Mercedes

$24 * 1.9%

Punta del Este

$80 4.3% 229% $56

Getting Around

Mercedes

$4 * 0.3%

Punta del Este

$59 3.2% 1382% $55

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 $1,106 in Punta del Este. 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 $44.00 in Punta del Este. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Mercedes vs $316 in Punta del Este – so Mercedes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Mercedes

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

Same time as Mercedes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,975

9,300

💱 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

On the map

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Mercedes Punta del Este 340 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 Punta del Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Punta del Este costs about 43% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Mercedes and $2,778 in Punta del Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Mercedes and $44.00 in Punta del Este. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Punta del Este, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mercedes, where all-in costs run around $1,293, than in Punta del Este at $1,852. In Mercedes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Punta del Este it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mercedes – 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 Mercedes. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Punta del Este makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.