Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,128 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
Learn more

Acuna Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Acuna

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,128 in Acuna, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Acuna $1,128

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,861 in Acuna, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Acuna $1,861

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,594 in Acuna, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Acuna $2,594

Montevideo costs about 57% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Acuna is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$12.22 MX$226

24.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$40.26 MX$744

71.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.18 MX$151

79.10%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.04 MX$56.1

46.71%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.26 MX$23.26

111.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.16 MX$21.43

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.25 MX$41.51

114.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.51 MX$64.9

8.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.82 MX$33.55

-25.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.58 MX$47.59

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.73 MX$31.92

1.16%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.50 MX$46.18

87.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.88 MX$146

76.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$7.96 MX$147

50.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$12.30 MX$227

-2.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.08 MX$57.0

-9.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.52 MX$28.10

80.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.95 MX$35.95

-9.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.74 MX$32.16

86.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.95 MX$36.12

1.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.86 MX$34.34

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.36 MX$25.17

0.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.22 MX$22.50

54.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.08 MX$75.3

37.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$10.98 MX$203

-20.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.58 MX$29.24

43.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.32 MX$61.3

-17.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.59 MX$10.92

159.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.47 MX$45.72

-22.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.14 MX$39.55

-81.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$12.51 MX$231

-17.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.31 MX$24.23

62.60%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.6K MX$417.6K

19.96%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$26.6K MX$491.6K

36.30%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$55.5 MX$1,025

239.52%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$21.62 MX$399

-5.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$29.24 MX$540

53.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$37.72 MX$697

43.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$19.85 MX$367

-0.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.30 MX$97.9

125.47%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$242 MX$4,477

161.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$4,625 MX$85.5K

139.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$55.0 MX$1,017

85.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$43.44 MX$803

32.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$111 MX$2,043

14.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$93.6 MX$1,729

36.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$543 MX$10.0K

32.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$367 MX$6,785

54.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$963 MX$17.8K

18.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$817 MX$15.1K

25.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$2,129 MX$39.4K

59.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,319 MX$24.4K

47.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acuna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Acuna

$367 32.5% 35.3% $201

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Acuna

$268 23.8% 19.1% $63

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Acuna

$187 16.5% 30.7% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Acuna

$106 9.4% 58.1% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Acuna

$136 12.1% 26.9% $50

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Acuna

$16 * 1.4% 81.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Acuna

$48 4.3% 37.9% $30

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 $543 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $40.00 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $268 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

00:37 12:37 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

160,225

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Acuna 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,693 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $40.00 in Acuna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Acuna – 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 Acuna. 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.