Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Minas and Punta del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,069 a month against $1,876 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Minas
Learn more

Minas Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Punta del Este
Learn more

Punta del Este Living Index

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Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,069

/mo nomad

Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Minas 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 Minas and in Punta del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Minas vs $1,876 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Minas $1,069
Punta del Este $1,876

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Minas vs $2,682 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Minas $1,734
Punta del Este $2,682

A family of three spends $2,400 per month in Minas vs $3,488 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Minas $2,400
Punta del Este $3,488

Minas is about 43% cheaper than Punta del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Minas sits 21% below the global median, while Punta del Este is 38% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 UYU 597

$13.31 UYU 534

11.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,799

$43.03 UYU 1,727

62.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.61 UYU 586

$13.58 UYU 545

7.58%

Cappuccino

$4.66 UYU 187

$4.60 UYU 184

1.30%

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

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.34 UYU 94.0

18.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$1.99 UYU 79.8

1.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 UYU 196

$2.93 UYU 118

66.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 UYU 154

$3.51 UYU 141

9.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.13 UYU 45.17

23.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 UYU 116

$2.81 UYU 113

3.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 UYU 69.1

$1.74 UYU 70.0

-1.15%

Eggs

$4.61 UYU 185

$4.35 UYU 174

5.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.12 UYU 567

$11.98 UYU 481

17.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 UYU 455

$11.25 UYU 452

0.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 UYU 482

$11.93 UYU 479

0.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 UYU 115

$2.83 UYU 114

1.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 UYU 113

$2.84 UYU 114

-0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$1.79 UYU 71.7

-3.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 UYU 124

$3.16 UYU 127

-2.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 UYU 76.9

$2.01 UYU 80.8

-4.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 UYU 86.2

$2.09 UYU 83.9

2.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.5

$1.40 UYU 56.2

2.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 UYU 76.3

$1.96 UYU 78.8

-3.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 214

$5.59 UYU 224

-4.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 UYU 341

$8.33 UYU 334

1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.6

$2.34 UYU 93.9

-3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 UYU 114

$2.80 UYU 112

1.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 UYU 30.54

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-44.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 UYU 2,017

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 UYU 75.5

$1.90 UYU 76.3

-1.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$0.40 UYU 16.19

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.47 UYU 420

$9.71 UYU 390

7.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$2.12 UYU 85.1

1.89%

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

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

0.06%

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

$36.8K UYU 1.5M

$36.0K UYU 1.4M

2.25%

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

$186 UYU 7,459

$114 UYU 4,561

63.52%

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

$20.60 UYU 827

$21.05 UYU 845

-2.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 UYU 1,818

$44.10 UYU 1,770

2.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 UYU 2,240

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.52 UYU 743

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 UYU 499

$12.15 UYU 488

2.30%

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

$615 UYU 24.7K

$505 UYU 20.3K

21.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.2K

$6,635 UYU 266.3K

66.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,185

$88.8 UYU 3,563

17.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,284

$36.73 UYU 1,474

54.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 UYU 4,899

$126 UYU 5,045

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 UYU 5,247

$120 UYU 4,801

9.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 UYU 44.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 UYU 33.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 UYU 76.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 UYU 47.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,822 UYU 153.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 UYU 78.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 UYU 43.0K

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 Minas: October 17, 2026

Last update for Punta del Este: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Minas

$329 30.8%

Punta del Este

$319 17% 3.1% $10

Eating Out

Minas

$270 25.2%

Punta del Este

$241 12.9% 10.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Minas

$252 23.6%

Punta del Este

$179 9.5% 29% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Minas

$186 17.4%

Punta del Este

$167 8.9% 10.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Minas

$25 * 2.3%

Punta del Este

$80 4.3% 222% $55

Getting Around

Minas

$6.9 * 0.7%

Punta del Este

$60 3.2% 762% $53

Accommodation & Living

Minas

- * 0%

Punta del Este

$830 44.3%

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 $70.0 in Minas versus $43.00 in Punta del Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $319 – making Punta del Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Minas

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

Same time as Minas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,446

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

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Minas Punta del Este 70 km

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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

Minas vs Punta del Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,069 in Minas, $1,876 in Punta del Este – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,604 per month in Minas and $2,814 in Punta del Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,069 in Minas and $1,876 in Punta del Este. That's a gap of about 76%.

Kindergarten costs $615 per month in Minas and $505 in Punta del Este. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Minas, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Punta del Este at $1,876. In Minas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Punta del Este it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Minas – 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 Minas. 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.