Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Aguada

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguada: $1,176 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Aguada
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Aguada Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Aguada

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Aguada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,176 in Aguada.

Montevideo $1,813
Aguada $1,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,209 in Aguada.

Montevideo $2,782
Aguada $1,209

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $1,242 in Aguada.

Montevideo $3,750
Aguada $1,242

Living in Montevideo is roughly 54% more expensive than in Aguada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Aguada is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$11.10 $11.10

37.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$11.88 $11.88

20.96%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.02 $2.02

129.70%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.05 $2.05

33.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.02 $1.02

104.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.54 $1.54

208.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$2.94 $2.94

24.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.70 $1.70

-18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.48 $2.48

11.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.41 $4.41

2.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$0.91 $0.91

143.96%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$251 $251

-24.07%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$60.6 $60.6

-66.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$55.6 $55.6

-2.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$5.93 $5.93

107.93%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$509 $509

20.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$35.56 $35.56

189.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$39.63 $39.63

41.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$81.3 $81.3

52.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$99.5 $99.5

30.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$501 $501

40.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$456 $456

26.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$2,184 $2,184

-43.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Aguada: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Aguada

$456 38.5% 20.8% $120

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Aguada

$59 * 5% 82.1% $273

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Aguada

$175 14.7% 35.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Aguada

$312 * 26.3% 22.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Aguada

$115 9.7% 38% $71

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Aguada

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Aguada

$68 5.7% 14.3% $11

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 $705 in Montevideo and $501 in Aguada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguada pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇷 Aguada

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

41,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Aguada 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Aguada

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 Aguada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Aguada differ by about 54% in total monthly costs ($1,813 vs $1,176 including rent). Aguada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Aguada. 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: $705 in Montevideo versus $501 in Aguada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $613 in Montevideo versus $509 in Aguada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,813 per month in Montevideo versus $1,176 in Aguada – a 54% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aguada but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Aguada 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 Aguada 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 Aguada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.