Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Ahuachapan

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Ahuachapan: $1,771 and $1,820 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ahuachapan
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Ahuachapan Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Ahuachapan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Ahuachapan

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,820 in Ahuachapan, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Ahuachapan $1,820

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,009 in Ahuachapan, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Ahuachapan $2,009

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,199 in Ahuachapan, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Ahuachapan $2,199

Montevideo is about 3% cheaper than Ahuachapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Ahuachapan sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Ahuachapan by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$6.88 $6.88

120.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$45.68 $45.68

51.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$6.90 $6.90

112.32%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.56 $3.56

25.28%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.16 $1.16

130.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$0.81 $0.81

146.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.97 $1.97

145.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.48 $3.48

9.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.83 $1.83

-25.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.93 $2.93

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.37 $1.37

27.74%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.99 $2.99

56.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$7.89 $7.89

75.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$6.80 $6.80

76.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$10.28 $10.28

16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$4.97 $4.97

-44.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.37 $1.37

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$2.64 $2.64

-32.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.47 $3.47

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$2.95 $2.95

-33.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$3.20 $3.20

-35.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$1.04 $1.04

31.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$0.96 $0.96

95.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$3.99 $3.99

40.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$11.98 $11.98

-26.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.21 $2.21

2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.92 $2.92

-5.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$5.88 $5.88

-67.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$2.94 $2.94

-86.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$19.78 $19.78

-47.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.23 $1.23

73.17%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$25.4K $25.4K

6.66%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$27.3K $27.3K

32.88%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$128 $128

46.71%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$21.64 $21.64

-5.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$41.76 $41.76

7.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$5.03 $5.03

137.57%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$163 $163

288.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$4,780 $4,780

131.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$67.9 $67.9

50.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$46.65 $46.65

23.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$118 $118

7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$115 $115

10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$525 $525

36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$1,011 $1,011

-43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$374 $374

206.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$401 $401

154.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$3,151 $3,151

7.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$1,317 $1,317

48.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$562 $562

121.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.5

-32.47%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ahuachapan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Ahuachapan

$1K 55.6% 78.1% $443

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Ahuachapan

$286 15.7% 13.7% $45

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Ahuachapan

$143 7.9% 46.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Ahuachapan

$192 10.5% 24.4% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Ahuachapan

$156 8.6% 16.1% $30

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Ahuachapan

$21 * 1.1% 75.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Ahuachapan

$10 * 0.6% 87.1% $68

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 $525 in Ahuachapan. 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 122% higher in Montevideo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $46.00 in Ahuachapan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $286 – making Ahuachapan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇻 Ahuachapan

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

16:13 4:13 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

110,511

💱 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.07 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Between locations

Montevideo Ahuachapan 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Ahuachapan

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 Ahuachapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ahuachapan costs about 3% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,729 in Ahuachapan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, 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 $1,820 in Ahuachapan. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $163 in Ahuachapan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Ahuachapan at $1,820. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ahuachapan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,771 in Montevideo to $1,820 in Ahuachapan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ahuachapan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.