Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Monterrey $1,607
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Monterrey $2,512
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Monterrey $3,417
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 11% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$250

$15.26 UYU 613

-9.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$913

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-25.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$203

$14.37 UYU 577

-22.55%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$73.5

$4.64 UYU 186

-12.93%

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

$1.70 MX$31.00

$2.73 UYU 110

-37.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.00

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$43.80

$4.75 UYU 191

-49.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$81.6

$3.67 UYU 147

22.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$34.98

$1.38 UYU 55.4

39.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$52.6

$2.77 UYU 111

4.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.34

$1.69 UYU 67.7

14.79%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.47

$4.52 UYU 182

-44.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$224

$14.17 UYU 569

-13.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$170

$12.07 UYU 485

-22.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$238

$12.16 UYU 488

7.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$61.5

$2.87 UYU 115

17.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$2.75 UYU 110

-42.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.07

$1.73 UYU 69.4

27.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.48

$3.24 UYU 130

-24.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.09

$2.07 UYU 83.0

9.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$49.89

$2.07 UYU 83.0

32.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.83

$1.38 UYU 55.4

10.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$22.94

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-31.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.1

$5.57 UYU 224

-13.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$247

$8.89 UYU 357

52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$34.69

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$55.8

$2.70 UYU 108

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.47

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$578

$73.7 UYU 2,958

-56.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.50

$1.82 UYU 73.3

-10.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$19.99

$0.40 UYU 16.02

175.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$199

$10.66 UYU 428

2.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.68

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-31.53%

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

$21.4K MX$388.7K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-20.09%

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

$25.5K MX$463.3K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-30.69%

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

$120 MX$2,178

$191 UYU 7,662

-37.27%

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

$27.08 MX$493

$20.40 UYU 819

32.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$486

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-39.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$567

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-42.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$399

$19.68 UYU 790

11.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$93.5

$12.33 UYU 495

-58.31%

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

$688 MX$12.5K

$613 UYU 24.6K

12.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$207.9K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

3.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,308

$103 UYU 4,128

-30.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$788

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-22.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,040

$124 UYU 4,993

-9.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,216

$130 UYU 5,207

-6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.4K

$705 UYU 28.3K

35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.2K

$575 UYU 23.1K

16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.3K

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

65.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$23.7K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

28.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$75.7K

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

24.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.3K

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

25.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.6K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-7.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

5.74

105.40%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 14.1% $95

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 6.4% $20

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 21.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 47.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 18.3% $29

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 98.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 90.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $332 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

00:56 12:56 AM

3 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Montevideo 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
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

Monterrey vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Montevideo differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $1,813 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Montevideo. 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Monterrey versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Montevideo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.