Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Banos

For one person, living is cheaper in Banos: $819 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Banos
Learn more

Banos Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Banos

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Banos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $819 in Banos.

Montevideo $1,771
Banos $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,784 in Montevideo versus $1,260 in Banos.

Montevideo $2,784
Banos $1,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,797 in Montevideo versus $1,701 in Banos.

Montevideo $3,797
Banos $1,701

Living in Montevideo is roughly 116% more expensive than in Banos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 30% above, Banos is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 629

$2.78 $2.78

462.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,812

$30.08 $30.08

132.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 584

$5.02 $5.02

189.04%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$2.60 $2.60

70.38%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$0.92 $0.92

170.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.5

$0.73 $0.73

167.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$2.99 $2.99

59.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$2.02 $2.02

81.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.05 $1.05

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$1.99 $1.99

49.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.1

$0.86 $0.86

102.33%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$1.49 $1.49

222.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$7.04 $7.04

99.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 457

$5.04 $5.04

125.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$5.85 $5.85

107.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.49 $1.49

83.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$0.49 $0.49

477.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$1.02 $1.02

59.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$0.95 $0.95

234.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$0.51 $0.51

296.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$0.91 $0.91

134.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 56.0

$0.51 $0.51

172.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$1.02 $1.02

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$5.83 $5.83

-8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$11.80 $11.80

-29.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$1.55 $1.55

51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.15 $2.15

30.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$0.36 $0.36

330.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,013

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$1.27 $1.27

50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.55

$1.23 $1.23

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$11.90 $11.90

-12.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$0.87 $0.87

156.32%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$23.1K $23.1K

14.87%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$30.6K $30.6K

17.10%

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

$184 UYU 7,392

$33.82 $33.82

443.52%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$14.62 $14.62

37.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,739

$25.86 $25.86

67.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,949

$29.84 $29.84

62.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$14.62 $14.62

34.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$7.28 $7.28

66.35%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$369 $369

72.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

$5,777 $5,777

90.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,050

$64.8 $64.8

55.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,289

$39.86 $39.86

42.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,937

$127 $127

-3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,241

$91.7 $91.7

42.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$440 $440

69.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$275 $275

110.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$705 $705

82.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$448 $448

151.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

10.05

-43.78%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Banos: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Banos

$275 33.6% 52.6% $305

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Banos

$176 21.5% 46.7% $154

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Banos

$94 11.5% 65.3% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Banos

$74 9.1% 69.9% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Banos

$146 17.8% 21.2% $39

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Banos

$8.9 * 1.1% 89.6% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Banos

$44 5.4% 38.9% $28

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 $747 in Montevideo and $440 in Banos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Montevideo vs $30 in Banos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $176 per month, with Banos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇪🇨 Banos

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

13:34 1:34 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

9,501

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.77 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Banos 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Banos

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 Banos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banos wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Banos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,657 in Montevideo and $1,228 in Banos 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: $747 in Montevideo versus $440 in Banos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $636 in Montevideo versus $369 in Banos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Banos – a meal for two runs $30 versus $70 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Banos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Banos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $819 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Banos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Banos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.