Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
Learn more

Cancun Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cancun

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,428 in Cancun, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Cancun $1,428

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,290 in Cancun, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Cancun $2,290

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,152 in Cancun, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Cancun $3,152

Montevideo costs about 27% more than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Cancun sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Cancun by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$11.15 MX$205

36.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$54.6 MX$1,003

23.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$11.30 MX$208

27.17%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.86 MX$71.0

20.21%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.38 MX$25.26

97.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$0.80 MX$14.76

161.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.08 MX$56.5

54.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.35 MX$79.9

-15.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.63 MX$29.94

-15.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.71 MX$49.81

2.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.65 MX$30.27

2.42%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.72 MX$50.0

66.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$9.93 MX$182

42.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$8.80 MX$162

37.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$13.88 MX$255

-12.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.83 MX$52.0

1.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.67 MX$30.66

64.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$3.20 MX$58.7

-45.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.16 MX$39.74

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.03 MX$37.27

1.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.90 MX$34.95

8.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.15 MX$21.12

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.22 MX$22.47

51.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.51 MX$82.8

23.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.03 MX$184

-11.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.56 MX$28.61

46.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.73 MX$50.1

-1.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.64 MX$11.82

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$28.64 MX$526

157.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$4.50 MX$82.5

-59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$2.98 MX$54.7

-86.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$13.62 MX$250

-21.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.52 MX$27.84

46.05%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.0K MX$385.8K

27.29%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.5K MX$449.7K

50.02%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$172 MX$3,166

10.66%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$23.50 MX$431

-13.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$37.97 MX$697

16.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$33.57 MX$616

61.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$13.50 MX$248

45.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$7.33 MX$135

68.21%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$205 MX$3,760

199.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$5,468 MX$100.4K

102.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$54.9 MX$1,008

87.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$54.7 MX$1,005

2.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$76.9 MX$1,412

61.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$94.4 MX$1,732

37.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$672 MX$12.3K

4.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$464 MX$8,518

24.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,375 MX$25.2K

-17.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,075 MX$19.7K

-5.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$1,281 MX$23.5K

161.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$1,985 MX$36.4K

-2.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$819 MX$15.0K

50.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.45

-49.87%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Cancun

$464 32.9% 19.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cancun

$287 20.3% 13.8% $46

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Cancun

$202 14.3% 25.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Cancun

$234 16.6% 8.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Cancun

$126 9% 32% $59

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Cancun

$51 3.6% 39.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cancun

$48 3.4% 38.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $672 in Cancun. 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 50% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo versus $55.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $287 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

888,797

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Cancun 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo, $1,428 in Cancun – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,141 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $205 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,428 in Cancun to $1,813 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Cancun. 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.