Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Antigua Guatemala

For one person, living is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala: $1,269 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Antigua Guatemala
Learn more

Antigua Guatemala Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Antigua Guatemala

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Antigua Guatemala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala.

Montevideo $1,813
Antigua Guatemala $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $2,123 in Antigua Guatemala.

Montevideo $2,782
Antigua Guatemala $2,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $2,977 in Antigua Guatemala.

Montevideo $3,750
Antigua Guatemala $2,977

Living in Montevideo is roughly 43% more expensive than in Antigua Guatemala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Antigua Guatemala is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$6.63 Q 50.7

130.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$51.7 Q 395

30.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$7.64 Q 58.4

88.09%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.41 Q 26.08

36.07%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.15 Q 8.81

137.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$0.93 Q 7.14

124.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.23 Q 24.69

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.63 Q 35.41

-20.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.04 Q 15.60

-32.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.11 Q 23.78

-10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.93 Q 14.76

-12.44%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.44 Q 18.65

85.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$5.48 Q 41.88

158.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$9.20 Q 70.3

31.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$10.54 Q 80.6

15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$3.79 Q 28.97

-24.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.64 Q 12.55

67.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.83 Q 21.62

-38.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.67 Q 12.75

94.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.53 Q 11.67

35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.74 Q 13.27

18.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.67 Q 5.16

105.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.19 Q 9.10

55.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$3.86 Q 29.49

44.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$8.02 Q 61.3

10.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.74 Q 13.30

31.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.58 Q 19.74

4.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$2.58 Q 19.75

-41.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$4.56 Q 34.81

-60.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$10.49 Q 80.2

1.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.28 Q 9.82

73.44%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$22.8K Q 174.4K

17.22%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$21.8K Q 166.8K

68.35%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$57.0 Q 436

234.63%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$28.77 Q 220

-29.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$45.71 Q 349

-3.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$41.18 Q 315

31.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$28.13 Q 215

-30.04%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$6.51 Q 49.73

89.40%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$338 Q 2,585

81.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$6,808 Q 52.0K

62.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$43.44 Q 332

136.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$48.13 Q 368

16.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$92.1 Q 704

34.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$79.5 Q 608

63.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$884 Q 6,757

-20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$518 Q 3,960

11.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,900 Q 14.5K

-40.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,195 Q 9,129

-14.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$2,963 Q 22.6K

13.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$1,198 Q 9,155

62.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$609 Q 4,655

101.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.62

-50.60%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Antigua Guatemala: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$518 41.3% 9.9% $57

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Antigua Guatemala

$267 21.2% 19.8% $66

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Antigua Guatemala

$151 12% 44.4% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Antigua Guatemala

$132 10.5% 48.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Antigua Guatemala

$118 9.4% 36.3% $67

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Antigua Guatemala

$15 * 1.2% 82.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Antigua Guatemala

$54 4.3% 31.2% $25

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 $884 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 102% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $52.0 in Antigua Guatemala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $267 per month, with Antigua Guatemala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇬🇹 Antigua Guatemala

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

22:04 10:04 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

46,054

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.64 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.57 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.117 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Antigua Guatemala 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Antigua Guatemala

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 Antigua Guatemala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Antigua Guatemala differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($1,813 vs $1,269 including rent). Antigua Guatemala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 102% higher in Montevideo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $884 in Antigua Guatemala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $613 in Montevideo versus $338 in Antigua Guatemala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Antigua Guatemala – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,269 in Antigua Guatemala versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Antigua Guatemala but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Antigua Guatemala 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 Antigua Guatemala 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 Antigua Guatemala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.