Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Belize City

For one person, living is cheaper in Belize City: $1,218 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,813
/mo nomad
Belize City
🇧🇿 Belize
$1,218
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Belize City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,218 in Belize City.

  • Montevideo $1,813
  • Belize City $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,805 in Belize City.

  • Montevideo $2,782
  • Belize City $1,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $2,391 in Belize City.

  • Montevideo $3,750
  • Belize City $2,391

Living in Montevideo is roughly 49% more expensive than in Belize City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Belize City is 9% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.26 UYU 613
$6.34 BZD 12.67
140.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.4 UYU 2,711
$49.01 BZD 98.0
37.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.37 UYU 578
$9.56 BZD 19.12
50.31%
Cappuccino
$4.64 UYU 187
$3.52 BZD 7.04
31.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 UYU 110
$1.67 BZD 3.33
63.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 UYU 84.0
$1.40 BZD 2.80
49.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.75 UYU 191
$2.53 BZD 5.05
87.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 UYU 147
$2.96 BZD 5.92
23.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 UYU 55.5
$3.71 BZD 7.43
-62.80%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 UYU 112
$2.49 BZD 4.98
11.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 UYU 67.8
$3.39 BZD 6.79
-50.15%
Eggs
$4.52 UYU 182
$3.54 BZD 7.08
27.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.17 UYU 570
$6.61 BZD 13.23
114.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.07 UYU 485
$9.69 BZD 19.38
24.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.16 UYU 489
$9.02 BZD 18.04
34.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 UYU 116
$2.79 BZD 5.58
2.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 UYU 110
$1.83 BZD 3.66
50.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.73 UYU 69.5
$2.79 BZD 5.57
-37.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 UYU 130
$2.95 BZD 5.90
9.83%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 UYU 83.1
$4.14 BZD 8.28
-50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 UYU 83.1
$2.82 BZD 5.65
-26.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 UYU 55.4
$2.32 BZD 4.64
-40.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 UYU 74.5
$1.53 BZD 3.05
20.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.57 UYU 224
$4.56 BZD 9.11
22.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.89 UYU 357
$9.72 BZD 19.44
-8.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 UYU 92.2
$2.40 BZD 4.81
-4.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 UYU 109
$2.13 BZD 4.25
26.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 UYU 61.3
$4.04 BZD 8.07
-62.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.7 UYU 2,962
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.82 UYU 73.4
$5.06 BZD 10.12
-64.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 UYU 16.05
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.66 UYU 429
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 UYU 89.2
$2.50 BZD 4.99
-11.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
$10.5K BZD 21.0K
154.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 UYU 7,674
$367 BZD 734
-47.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.40 UYU 820
$49.86 BZD 99.7
-59.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.14 UYU 1,775
$27.07 BZD 54.2
63.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 UYU 2,177
$25.19 BZD 50.4
114.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.68 UYU 791
$2.42 BZD 4.83
713.22%
Cinema Ticket
$12.33 UYU 496
$4.88 BZD 9.76
152.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$613 UYU 24.7K
$65.3 BZD 131
839.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K UYU 444.3K
$666 BZD 1,332
1559.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 UYU 4,134
$32.73 BZD 65.5
214.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.1 UYU 2,255
$24.42 BZD 48.84
129.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 UYU 5,000
$36.85 BZD 73.7
237.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 UYU 5,214
$37.54 BZD 75.1
245.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$705 UYU 28.4K
$349 BZD 697
102.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$575 UYU 23.1K
$191 BZD 382
201.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,139 UYU 45.8K
$575 BZD 1,150
98.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 UYU 40.8K
$326 BZD 653
211.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,349 UYU 134.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,942 UYU 78.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montevideo
Belize City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,229 UYU 49.4K
$845 BZD 1,691
45.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.74
11.5
-50.09%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belize City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
$575
Belize City
$191 66.8% $385
Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
$332
Belize City
$317 4.6% $15
Eating Out
Montevideo
$271
Belize City
$152 43.8% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
$255
Belize City
$444 73.8% $188
Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
$186
Belize City
$59 68.1% $127
Getting Around
Montevideo
$84
Belize City
$21 * 74.6% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
$79
Belize City
$35 55.6% $44

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 $349 in Belize City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 45% 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 $49.00 in Belize City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $317 per month, with Belize City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🇧🇿 Belize City
🕒 Local time
08:50 8:50 AM
05:50 5:50 AM
3 h behind Montevideo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,319,108 Capital
63,999
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BZD (1 BZD = 0.446 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montevideo Belize City 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montevideo
  • Belize City

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 Belize City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montevideo or Belize City?
Belize City wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Belize City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Montevideo or in Belize City?
Average pay runs 45% higher in Montevideo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Montevideo compared to Belize City?
Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $349 in Belize City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Montevideo or in Belize City?
Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Montevideo compared to Belize City?
All in, you'll spend $1,813 per month in Montevideo versus $1,218 in Belize City – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Montevideo or in Belize City?
At $1,218 in Belize City versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belize City but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Belize City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montevideo or Belize City?
Both work as nomad bases, but Belize City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,218 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Belize City hard to pass up.
How safe is Montevideo compared to Belize City?
Safety-wise, Montevideo and Belize City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Belize City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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