Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Asuncion

For one person, living is cheaper in Asuncion: $1,069 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Asuncion

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,069 in Asuncion, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Asuncion $1,069

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $1,673 in Asuncion, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Asuncion $1,673

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $2,277 in Asuncion, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Asuncion $2,277

Montevideo costs about 67% more than Asuncion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 32% above the global median, while Asuncion is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$7.09 ₲40.3K

109.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$43.29 ₲246.1K

61.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$6.81 ₲38.7K

115.57%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$3.40 ₲19.3K

36.76%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.06 ₲6,005

158.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$0.59 ₲3,381

250.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$1.89 ₲10.7K

153.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$1.79 ₲10.2K

102.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.27 ₲7,227

9.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$1.46 ₲8,317

97.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.37 ₲7,771

24.09%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$2.49 ₲14.1K

85.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$9.72 ₲55.2K

46.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$5.43 ₲30.9K

114.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$10.00 ₲56.9K

22.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.94 ₲16.7K

-5.78%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.26 ₲7,174

126.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$1.19 ₲6,792

52.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$2.53 ₲14.4K

26.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$1.35 ₲7,674

43.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$1.29 ₲7,360

67.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$0.87 ₲4,965

64.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$0.73 ₲4,128

165.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$2.41 ₲13.7K

126.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$9.47 ₲53.8K

-5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.41 ₲7,998

60.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$1.72 ₲9,755

63.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$0.62 ₲3,508

151.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

$37.61 ₲213.8K

96.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$1.53 ₲8,710

24.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.53 ₲8,700

-71.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$10.61 ₲60.3K

-0.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.28 ₲7,274

65.63%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$17.5K ₲99.5M

53.12%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$29.4K ₲167.2M

25.81%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$49.78 ₲283.0K

286.74%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$17.74 ₲100.9K

17.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$22.69 ₲129.0K

97.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$36.22 ₲205.9K

40.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

$15.06 ₲85.7K

31.01%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$8.67 ₲49.3K

41.87%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$189 ₲1.1M

233.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$5,686 ₲32.3M

91.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$64.1 ₲364.5K

61.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$56.7 ₲322.2K

1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$106 ₲603.5K

17.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$71.6 ₲406.8K

85.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$624 ₲3.6M

14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$387 ₲2.2M

48.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,057 ₲6.0M

10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$656 ₲3.7M

57.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$1,733 ₲9.9M

97.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$1,228 ₲7.0M

43.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

$721 ₲4.1M

72.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.5

-45.33%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Asuncion: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Asuncion

$387 36.2% 32.8% $189

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Asuncion

$217 20.3% 34.9% $117

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Asuncion

$138 12.9% 48.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Asuncion

$90 8.4% 65.1% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Asuncion

$134 12.6% 28.7% $54

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Asuncion

$49 4.6% 41.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Asuncion

$54 5% 29% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Montevideo versus $624 in Asuncion. 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 73% 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 $70.0 in Montevideo versus $43.00 in Asuncion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $217 – making Asuncion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

Same time as Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

742,023 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Asuncion 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Asuncion

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 Asuncion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $1,603 in Asuncion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 96% less in Asuncion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $629 per month in Montevideo and $189 in Asuncion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Asuncion, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Asuncion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asuncion – 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 Asuncion. 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.