Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montevideo and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Acapulco $2,012

Montevideo costs about 106% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Acapulco is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$9.48 MX$175

59.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$37.64 MX$696

83.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.97 MX$221

22.39%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.76 MX$69.5

18.62%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.63 MX$30.10

63.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.66 MX$30.65

20.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.00 MX$55.4

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.79 MX$88.4

-20.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.59 MX$29.36

-14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.89 MX$53.5

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.68 MX$31.11

4.17%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.79 MX$33.06

161.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.64 MX$123

109.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$8.04 MX$149

49.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.78 MX$199

11.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.58 MX$84.7

-39.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.65 MX$30.46

66.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.38 MX$62.5

-47.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.13 MX$57.9

3.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.47 MX$64.2

-43.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.96 MX$54.7

-30.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.31 MX$24.12

4.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.78 MX$14.46

141.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$8.16 MX$151

-31.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$6.66 MX$123

31.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.12 MX$20.74

101.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.70 MX$49.94

1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.88 MX$16.27

73.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$4.85 MX$89.6

-60.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.47 MX$27.16

44.90%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$21.1K MX$389.7K

28.53%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.8K MX$458.4K

46.20%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$39.89 MX$737

372.05%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$14.81 MX$274

38.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$21.72 MX$401

106.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$19.02 MX$351

183.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$13.85 MX$256

42.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$3.87 MX$71.6

208.79%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$162 MX$2,994

291.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$64.4 MX$1,191

58.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$44.58 MX$824

29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$107 MX$1,985

17.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$83.2 MX$1,538

53.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$519 MX$9,593

38.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$150 MX$2,763

279.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$956 MX$17.7K

19.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$331 MX$6,118

209.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$449 MX$8,293

177.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.6

-50.52%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 73.7% $418

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 19% $63

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 27.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 69.9% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 27.6% $52

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 90.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 65.6% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $519 in Acapulco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 177% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $269 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

658,609

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Acapulco 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Acapulco

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

Montevideo vs Acapulco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 106% more than Acapulco, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 106%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $162 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $1,771 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Acapulco. 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.