Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Caguas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caguas: $1,621 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
Learn more

Caguas Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Caguas

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Caguas $3,539

Montevideo costs about 9% more than Caguas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Caguas sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Caguas by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$14.74 $14.74

2.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$82.9 $82.9

-16.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.99 $8.99

62.96%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.28 $2.28

95.61%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.12 $1.12

138.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.24 $1.24

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.52 $1.52

217.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.12 $4.12

-7.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.16 $2.16

-37.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.80 $2.80

2.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.31 $2.31

-24.24%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$4.97 $4.97

-5.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.90 $6.90

101.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.13 $9.13

31.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.99 $11.99

-0.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.15 $5.15

-46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.61 $2.61

4.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.39 $2.39

-25.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.53 $4.53

-28.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.57 $2.57

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.71 $2.71

-23.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$2.26 $2.26

-39.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.60 $1.60

17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$10.64 $10.64

-47.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$14.03 $14.03

-37.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.45 $1.45

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.18 $2.18

26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.98 $1.98

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$70.3 $70.3

5.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.44 $2.44

-21.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.54 $1.54

-74.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$42.73 $42.73

-75.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.89 $0.89

139.33%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$30.5K $30.5K

-11.25%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.8K $25.8K

40.65%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$185 $185

1.68%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$59.9 $59.9

-65.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$56.2 $56.2

-20.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$35.28 $35.28

52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$50.9 $50.9

-61.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$9.83 $9.83

21.57%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$300 $300

111.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$12.3K $12.3K

-10.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$26.14 $26.14

290.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$35.43 $35.43

62.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$81.1 $81.1

56.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$115 $115

11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$752 $752

-4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$528 $528

7.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,080 $1,080

6.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$977 $977

4.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$2,422 $2,422

40.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$849 $849

129.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$3,041 $3,041

-59.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.85

18.35%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 7.1% $40

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 1.2% $4.1

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 26.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 18.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 37.8% $70

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 4.7% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 29.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $752 in Caguas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 144% higher in Caguas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $83.0 in Caguas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $336 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

20:22 8:22 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

70,318

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Montevideo Caguas 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 9% more than Caguas, 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 $2,432 in Caguas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caguas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $1,621 in Caguas. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Caguas, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Caguas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Caguas costs $1,621 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 Caguas. 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.