Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Mexico City $1,608
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,784 in Montevideo.

Mexico City $2,549
Montevideo $2,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,797 in Montevideo.

Mexico City $3,490
Montevideo $3,797

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 9% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Montevideo 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$15.63 UYU 629

-32.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$69.9 UYU 2,812

-30.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$14.51 UYU 584

-28.67%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.43 UYU 178

-16.70%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.49 UYU 100

-32.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.95 UYU 78.5

-34.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$4.78 UYU 192

-33.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.67 UYU 148

44.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.26 UYU 50.6

36.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.98 UYU 120

2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.74 UYU 70.1

11.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.80 UYU 193

-39.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$14.06 UYU 565

-21.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$11.35 UYU 457

-18.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.16 UYU 489

24.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.74 UYU 110

11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.83 UYU 114

-31.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.63 UYU 65.4

24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$3.18 UYU 128

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.02 UYU 81.1

0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.13 UYU 85.5

-15.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.39 UYU 56.0

6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.94 UYU 78.2

-34.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$5.34 UYU 215

-0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$8.31 UYU 334

93.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.35 UYU 94.3

-15.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.80 UYU 113

51.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.55 UYU 62.4

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$74.9 UYU 3,013

-73.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.91 UYU 76.9

-3.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.41 UYU 16.55

29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$10.38 UYU 417

-48.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$2.23 UYU 89.5

-32.29%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

-18.02%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

-33.09%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$184 UYU 7,392

-65.74%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$20.15 UYU 810

35.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$43.24 UYU 1,739

-17.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$48.47 UYU 1,949

21.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$19.71 UYU 792

19.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$12.11 UYU 487

-47.15%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$636 UYU 25.6K

-32.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

3.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$101 UYU 4,050

-32.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$56.9 UYU 2,289

-6.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$123 UYU 4,937

-12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$130 UYU 5,241

-10.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$747 UYU 30.0K

49.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$581 UYU 23.3K

22.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

101.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

24.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

-0.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

5.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

-26.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.65

100.88%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Montevideo

$581 32.8% 18.3% $130

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Montevideo

$330 18.6% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Montevideo

$271 15.3% 36.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Montevideo

$185 10.4% 18.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Montevideo

$247 14% 96.1% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Montevideo

$73 4.1% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Montevideo

$85 4.8% 234% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $747 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 36% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $70 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $330 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

14:46 2:46 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.77 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Montevideo 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

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

Mexico City and Montevideo differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,771 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $747 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 74% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $636 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Montevideo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.