Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $739 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
Learn more

Babahoyo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $739 in Babahoyo.

Montevideo $1,771
Babahoyo $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,243 in Babahoyo.

Montevideo $2,740
Babahoyo $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $1,746 in Babahoyo.

Montevideo $3,708
Babahoyo $1,746

Living in Montevideo is roughly 140% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Babahoyo is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$4.01 $4.01

278.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$32.38 $32.38

113.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$4.72 $4.72

210.38%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.52 $2.52

76.98%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.83 $0.83

221.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$0.83 $0.83

140.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.05 $2.05

135.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.57 $3.57

6.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.14 $1.14

19.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.63 $1.63

76.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.70 $1.70

2.94%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.87 $1.87

150.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$7.32 $7.32

89.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$5.70 $5.70

110.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$6.93 $6.93

72.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$1.80 $1.80

54.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.95 $0.95

188.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$1.16 $1.16

52.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.20 $1.20

170.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$1.37 $1.37

43.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$1.04 $1.04

99.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$0.68 $0.68

101.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.07 $1.07

75.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$5.38 $5.38

3.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$9.09 $9.09

-3.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$1.55 $1.55

45.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.16 $3.16

-12.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$0.34 $0.34

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

$15.80 $15.80

370.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$1.44 $1.44

32.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$1.26 $1.26

-68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.45 $9.45

9.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$0.82 $0.82

159.76%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$19.2K $19.2K

41.41%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$29.3K $29.3K

23.85%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$37.52 $37.52

401.87%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$13.16 $13.16

56.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$27.46 $27.46

63.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$25.83 $25.83

108.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$14.98 $14.98

31.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$6.97 $6.97

71.45%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$207 $207

206.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$5,116 $5,116

116.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$50.1 $50.1

103.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$37.24 $37.24

54.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$114 $114

11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$61.9 $61.9

106.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$318 $318

125.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$184 $184

207.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$789 $789

45.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$455 $455

124.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$1,153 $1,153

194.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$681 $681

186.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.05

-42.89%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Babahoyo

$184 25% 67.5% $383

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Babahoyo

$193 26.1% 41.9% $139

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Babahoyo

$101 13.6% 62.7% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Babahoyo

$78 10.6% 69.2% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Babahoyo

$118 16% 36.5% $68

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Babahoyo

$25 3.4% 70.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Babahoyo

$40 5.4% 48.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $318 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $32.00 in Babahoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $193 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

84,164

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Babahoyo 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 140% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $1,108 in Babahoyo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $318 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $207 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $739 in Babahoyo versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Babahoyo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Babahoyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Babahoyo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $739 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Babahoyo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Babahoyo 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 Babahoyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.