Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Arequipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Arequipa: $719 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Arequipa
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Arequipa Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Arequipa

🇵🇪 Peru

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Arequipa

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $719 in Arequipa, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Arequipa $719

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,114 in Arequipa, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Arequipa $1,114

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $1,510 in Arequipa, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Arequipa $1,510

Montevideo costs about 152% more than Arequipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Arequipa is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$3.41 PEN 11.73

347.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$27.27 PEN 93.8

147.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$5.68 PEN 19.53

152.99%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$2.47 PEN 8.48

87.85%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$0.82 PEN 2.82

232.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.38 PEN 1.32

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.07 PEN 7.12

129.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.40 PEN 15.13

-16.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.33 PEN 4.59

3.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.36 PEN 4.69

103.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.52 PEN 5.22

11.18%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.25 PEN 7.75

100.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$6.39 PEN 21.97

121.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$4.37 PEN 15.04

176.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$7.48 PEN 25.74

62.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.77 PEN 6.09

62.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.22 PEN 4.20

125.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$1.13 PEN 3.90

53.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.03 PEN 3.53

214.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$0.64 PEN 2.20

223.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$0.67 PEN 2.31

208.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.54 PEN 1.87

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$0.76 PEN 2.61

143.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$5.18 PEN 17.82

7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$5.04 PEN 17.32

76.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$2.72 PEN 9.37

-15.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.20 PEN 7.58

22.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.28 PEN 0.95

442.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.01 PEN 6.90

-9.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.97 PEN 6.78

-79.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$13.00 PEN 44.70

-18.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.53 PEN 5.28

45.10%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$19.2K PEN 65.9K

39.51%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$25.0K PEN 86.1K

46.73%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$24.05 PEN 82.7

693.51%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$10.15 PEN 34.91

100.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$23.01 PEN 79.2

91.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$25.05 PEN 86.2

116.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$8.13 PEN 27.97

142.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$7.41 PEN 25.48

66.40%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$74.8 PEN 257

720.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$6,596 PEN 22.7K

67.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$48.85 PEN 168

110.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$26.46 PEN 91.0

111.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$68.0 PEN 234

82.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$57.3 PEN 197

126.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$354 PEN 1,217

99.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$236 PEN 812

143.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$714 PEN 2,458

59.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$418 PEN 1,436

143.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$1,991 PEN 6,847

68.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$974 PEN 3,351

99.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$617 PEN 2,122

99.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-61.73%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Arequipa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Arequipa

$236 33.3% 59% $339

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Arequipa

$174 24.6% 47.7% $158

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Arequipa

$98 13.8% 63.9% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Arequipa

$57 8.1% 77.6% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Arequipa

$90 12.7% 51.4% $96

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Arequipa

$13 * 1.8% 84.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Arequipa

$40 5.6% 49.4% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $354 in Arequipa. 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 99% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo versus $27.00 in Arequipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $174 – making Arequipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇪 Arequipa

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

17,062

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Arequipa 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Arequipa

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 Arequipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 152% more than Arequipa, 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 $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,078 in Arequipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arequipa, 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 $67.0 in Montevideo and $27.00 in Arequipa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arequipa, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Arequipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arequipa costs $719 versus $1,813 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Arequipa. 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.