Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Boca Chica

For one person, living is cheaper in Boca Chica: $1,096 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Boca Chica
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Boca Chica Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Boca Chica

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Boca Chica

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,096 in Boca Chica, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Boca Chica $1,096

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,281 in Boca Chica, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Boca Chica $1,281

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,466 in Boca Chica, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Boca Chica $1,466

Montevideo costs about 62% more than Boca Chica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Boca Chica is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$8.32 DOP 510

82.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$41.47 DOP 2,540

66.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.09 DOP 434

106.63%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.79 DOP 110

149.16%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.66 DOP 40.41

304.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.37 DOP 22.81

440.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.44 DOP 149

97.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.87 DOP 237

-1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.21 DOP 73.9

12.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.71 DOP 105

67.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.55 DOP 95.0

12.90%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.44 DOP 88.2

225.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.20 DOP 380

123.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$3.61 DOP 221

231.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$4.78 DOP 293

150.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.68 DOP 225

-24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.38 DOP 84.7

98.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.24 DOP 198

-45.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.22 DOP 136

45.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.52 DOP 216

-44.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.86 DOP 175

-27.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.88 DOP 53.8

55.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.58 DOP 96.8

18.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.78 DOP 293

16.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$8.27 DOP 507

6.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$3.00 DOP 184

-24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.48 DOP 213

-20.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.61 DOP 98.3

-4.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.52 DOP 154

-24.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.26 DOP 199

-87.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.36 DOP 83.4

56.62%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$14.8K DOP 905.3K

83.43%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

44.96%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$94.8 DOP 5,809

98.59%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$15.01 DOP 919

36.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$16.29 DOP 998

175.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$41.47 DOP 2,541

30.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.83 DOP 296

147.41%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$149 DOP 9,128

325.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$5,432 DOP 332.7K

103.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$25.88 DOP 1,585

294.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$45.95 DOP 2,815

25.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$62.3 DOP 3,818

103.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$65.4 DOP 4,003

95.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$450 DOP 27.6K

26.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-47.82%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Boca Chica: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Boca Chica

$450 41.1% 20.8% $118

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Boca Chica

$220 20.1% 33.6% $111

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Boca Chica

$133 12.2% 50.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Boca Chica

$126 11.5% 50.3% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Boca Chica

$90 8.2% 51.8% $97

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Boca Chica

$25 * 2.3% 70.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Boca Chica

$51 4.7% 34.3% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $41.00 in Boca Chica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $220 – making Boca Chica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇴 Boca Chica

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

46,300

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Boca Chica 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Boca Chica

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 Boca Chica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 62% more than Boca Chica, 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 $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,644 in Boca Chica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $1,096 in Boca Chica. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $149 in Boca Chica. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Boca Chica, where all-in costs run around $1,096, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Boca Chica it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Boca Chica costs $1,096 versus $1,771 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 Boca Chica. 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.