Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Bonao

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $686 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Bonao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $686 in Bonao.

Montevideo $1,771
Bonao $686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,131 in Bonao.

Montevideo $2,740
Bonao $1,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $1,575 in Bonao.

Montevideo $3,708
Bonao $1,575

Living in Montevideo is roughly 158% more expensive than in Bonao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Bonao is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$9.71 DOP 595

56.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$49.73 DOP 3,047

39.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.65 DOP 468

91.50%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.00 DOP 123

123.00%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.05 DOP 64.6

154.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.60 DOP 36.58

233.33%

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

$3.14 DOP 192

21.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.03 DOP 63.3

32.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.04 DOP 63.6

175.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$0.66 DOP 40.65

165.15%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.21 DOP 74.1

286.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$5.01 DOP 307

177.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.61 DOP 344

113.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$6.51 DOP 399

83.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.36 DOP 145

17.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.63 DOP 38.55

334.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.69 DOP 165

-34.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.37 DOP 83.8

136.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.97 DOP 121

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.57 DOP 95.9

31.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.00 DOP 61.0

37.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.51 DOP 31.40

268.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.24 DOP 321

6.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$7.14 DOP 437

22.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.18 DOP 133

3.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.91 DOP 178

-5.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.58 DOP 35.60

163.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$34.07 DOP 2,087

117.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$3.12 DOP 191

-38.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.17 DOP 133

-81.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$2.41 DOP 147

328.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.40 DOP 85.5

52.14%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.8K DOP 1.4M

18.82%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

6.32%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$92.9 DOP 5,691

102.69%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$31.91 DOP 1,955

-35.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$35.96 DOP 2,203

24.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.33 DOP 449

63.03%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$248 DOP 15.2K

155.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$7,364 DOP 451.1K

50.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$45.46 DOP 2,785

124.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$46.18 DOP 2,829

24.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$86.4 DOP 5,291

46.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$126 DOP 7,698

1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

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

13.56

-57.67%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bonao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Bonao

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Bonao

$174 25.4% 47.5% $157

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Bonao

$150 21.8% 44.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Bonao

$161 23.4% 36.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Bonao

$137 19.9% 26.7% $50

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Bonao

$50 7.3% 40.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Bonao

$15 * 2.1% 81.2% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $50.0 in Bonao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $174 per month, with Bonao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇴 Bonao

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

158,034

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Bonao 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Bonao

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 Bonao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Bonao differ by about 158% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $686 including rent). Bonao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $1,029 in Bonao 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.

A monthly transit pass in Bonao runs roughly 118% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $248 in Bonao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $686 in Bonao versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bonao but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Bonao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Bonao 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 Bonao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 158% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.