Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Acosta

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Acosta: $1,771 and $1,752 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Acosta

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 Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,752 in Acosta.

Montevideo $1,771
Acosta $1,752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,725 in Acosta.

Montevideo $2,740
Acosta $2,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $3,698 in Acosta.

Montevideo $3,708
Acosta $3,698

Living in Montevideo is roughly 1% more expensive than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Acosta 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$11.88 ₡5,328

27.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$59.0 ₡26.4K

17.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.56 ₡5,184

26.73%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.17 ₡1,869

6.95%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.54 ₡1,138

5.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.85 ₡830

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.19 ₡1,432

51.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.37 ₡1,960

-13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.09 ₡938

-34.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.47 ₡1,110

16.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.30 ₡1,032

-23.91%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.75 ₡1,680

24.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.95 ₡4,912

26.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.91 ₡4,894

9.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$15.12 ₡6,781

-20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.79 ₡2,595

-51.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.78 ₡799

53.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.53 ₡1,584

-49.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.23 ₡1,448

0.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.26 ₡1,464

-39.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.44 ₡1,544

-39.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.05 ₡471

30.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$2.39 ₡1,073

-21.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.94 ₡2,215

13.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$17.53 ₡7,861

-49.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.27 ₡1,019

-0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.46 ₡1,104

11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.15 ₡516

33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.29 ₡1,026

-16.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.59 ₡715

-74.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.52 ₡4,271

8.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.46 ₡653

45.89%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.2K ₡10.0M

21.99%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$30.8K ₡13.8M

17.76%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$93.7 ₡42.0K

100.90%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$34.27 ₡15.4K

-40.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$57.5 ₡25.8K

-22.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-29.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.96 ₡3,571

50.13%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$845 ₡379.1K

-24.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$18.3K ₡8.2M

-39.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$81.0 ₡36.3K

26.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$55.4 ₡24.8K

3.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$143 ₡64.0K

-11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$114 ₡51.3K

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$787 ₡353.0K

-8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$686 ₡307.7K

-17.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,977 ₡886.4K

-42.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,274 ₡571.5K

-19.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,943 ₡871.5K

74.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$1,511 ₡677.5K

-17.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.62

-33.41%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Acosta

$686 39.2% 20.8% $118

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Acosta

$373 21.3% 12.6% $42

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Acosta

$222 12.7% 17.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Acosta

$186 10.6% 26.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Acosta

$177 10.1% 5% $9.3

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Acosta

$15 * 0.9% 82.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Acosta

$93 5.3% 19.3% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $787 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $59.0 in Acosta. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $373, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

02:30 2:30 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

3,072

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Acosta 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Acosta

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 Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Acosta differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $1,752 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Acosta. 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: $719 in Montevideo versus $787 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,752 in Acosta – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta 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, Montevideo and Acosta 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 Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.