Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Montevideo $1,771
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Montevideo $2,740
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Montevideo $3,708
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Montevideo is roughly 7% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-20.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

5.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

10.98%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.85 ARS 5,841

15.84%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.99 ARS 3,020

34.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.60 ARS 2,430

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.93 ARS 5,959

22.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-9.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.53 ARS 3,837

13.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.61 ARS 2,445

8.70%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.84 ARS 4,316

64.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

34.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

19.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-10.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.20 ARS 3,334

24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.40 ARS 2,120

26.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.98 ARS 3,004

63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.21 ARS 1,835

62.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.26 ARS 1,910

64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-19.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.72 ARS 2,603

9.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.29 ARS 6,505

30.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$5.70 ARS 8,645

54.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.17 ARS 3,288

4.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.75 ARS 1,141

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

172.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.57 ARS 2,375

21.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.03 ARS 1,558

-61.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

30.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.42 ARS 2,160

50.00%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-3.01%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

3.70%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$195 ARS 296.2K

-3.53%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-18.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

42.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

5.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

18.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

15.57%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$463 ARS 703.2K

36.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

25.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$120 ARS 181.8K

-14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-39.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$114 ARS 173.1K

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$139 ARS 211.4K

-8.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$520 ARS 788.8K

9.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-27.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-14.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

25.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

2.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$938 ARS 1.4M

32.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

57.25

-89.97%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 8.5% $48

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 14.6% $48

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 4.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 0.7% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 13.2% $25

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 56.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 8.1% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 33% 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: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $283 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

Same time as Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Montevideo
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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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Buenos Aires differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $1,656 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Montevideo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.