Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Candelaria de la Frontera

For one person, living is cheaper in Candelaria de la Frontera: $813 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria de la Frontera
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Candelaria de la Frontera Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Candelaria de la Frontera

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Candelaria de la Frontera

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 Candelaria de la Frontera actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $813 in Candelaria de la Frontera, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Candelaria de la Frontera $813

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,306 in Candelaria de la Frontera, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Candelaria de la Frontera $1,306

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,800 in Candelaria de la Frontera, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Candelaria de la Frontera $1,800

Montevideo costs about 118% more than Candelaria de la Frontera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Candelaria de la Frontera is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$6.82 $6.82

122.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$45.40 $45.40

52.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$7.18 $7.18

104.04%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.47 $3.47

28.53%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.11 $1.11

140.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$0.80 $0.80

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.04 $2.04

136.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.57 $3.57

6.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.79 $1.79

-24.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.92 $2.92

-1.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.37 $1.37

27.74%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.97 $2.97

57.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$7.65 $7.65

81.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$6.92 $6.92

73.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$10.10 $10.10

18.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$4.97 $4.97

-44.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.38 $1.38

98.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$2.56 $2.56

-30.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.55 $3.55

-8.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$2.99 $2.99

-34.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$3.21 $3.21

-35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$0.98 $0.98

39.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$0.94 $0.94

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.09 $4.09

36.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$11.99 $11.99

-26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.16 $2.16

4.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.98 $2.98

-7.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$5.88 $5.88

-67.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$3.09 $3.09

-87.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$20.28 $20.28

-49.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.27 $1.27

67.72%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$24.9K $24.9K

8.78%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$26.8K $26.8K

35.23%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$132 $132

42.37%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$21.53 $21.53

-4.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$43.27 $43.27

3.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$5.13 $5.13

132.94%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$162 $162

292.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$4,744 $4,744

133.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$66.9 $66.9

52.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$47.56 $47.56

20.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$119 $119

6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$116 $116

10.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

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 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.5

-32.47%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Candelaria de la Frontera: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Candelaria de la Frontera

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Candelaria de la Frontera

$285 35% 14.1% $47

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Candelaria de la Frontera

$143 17.6% 47% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Candelaria de la Frontera

$197 24.2% 22.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Candelaria de la Frontera

$157 19.3% 15.8% $29

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Candelaria de la Frontera

$21 * 2.6% 74.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Candelaria de la Frontera

$10 * 1.3% 86.8% $68

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 $45.00 in Candelaria de la Frontera. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $285 – making Candelaria de la Frontera the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇻 Candelaria de la Frontera

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

6,301

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.07 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Candelaria de la Frontera 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Candelaria de la Frontera

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 Candelaria de la Frontera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 118% more than Candelaria de la Frontera, 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 $1,220 in Candelaria de la Frontera. 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 $813 in Candelaria de la Frontera. That's a gap of about 118%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $162 in Candelaria de la Frontera. 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 Candelaria de la Frontera, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Candelaria de la Frontera it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Candelaria de la Frontera costs $813 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 Candelaria de la Frontera. 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.