Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Chaguanas

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaguanas: $1,287 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Chaguanas
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Chaguanas Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Chaguanas

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Chaguanas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,287 in Chaguanas.

Montevideo $1,771
Chaguanas $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,082 in Chaguanas.

Montevideo $2,740
Chaguanas $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,876 in Chaguanas.

Montevideo $3,708
Chaguanas $2,876

Living in Montevideo is roughly 38% more expensive than in Chaguanas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Chaguanas is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.39 TTD 69.9

45.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$59.9 TTD 403

15.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.18 TTD 55.0

79.10%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.32 TTD 22.32

34.34%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.26 TTD 8.44

111.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.00 TTD 6.71

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.73 TTD 11.64

179.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.63 TTD 17.69

44.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.39 TTD 16.07

-43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.14 TTD 14.36

34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.17 TTD 14.61

-19.35%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.87 TTD 26.01

20.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.33 TTD 49.31

89.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$8.03 TTD 54.0

49.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.80 TTD 79.4

1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.97 TTD 19.98

-6.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$3.01 TTD 20.23

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.86 TTD 19.22

-38.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$5.01 TTD 33.68

-35.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.47 TTD 16.59

-20.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.16 TTD 14.55

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.99 TTD 13.37

-31.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.29 TTD 8.68

45.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$2.89 TTD 19.41

93.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$19.92 TTD 134

-55.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.91 TTD 12.87

18.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.56 TTD 17.19

7.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.76 TTD 5.10

101.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.21 TTD 14.87

-13.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.33 TTD 8.95

-69.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$14.46 TTD 97.3

-28.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.12 TTD 7.52

90.18%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$33.1K TTD 223.0K

-18.21%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$33.6K TTD 226.2K

7.85%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$103 TTD 691

83.30%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$38.71 TTD 260

-46.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$51.3 TTD 345

-12.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$51.3 TTD 345

5.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$44.48 TTD 299

-55.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$8.58 TTD 57.7

39.28%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$304 TTD 2,042

108.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$45.03 TTD 303

126.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$42.30 TTD 285

36.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$98.7 TTD 664

28.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$106 TTD 716

20.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$463 TTD 3,112

55.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$386 TTD 2,597

47.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$948 TTD 6,376

20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$759 TTD 5,106

34.79%

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

$773 TTD 5,203

60.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

14.80%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chaguanas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Chaguanas

$386 30% 32% $182

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Chaguanas

$326 25.3% 1.7% $5.6

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Chaguanas

$170 13.2% 36.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Chaguanas

$193 15% 24% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Chaguanas

$132 10.2% 29.4% $55

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Chaguanas

$12 * 0.9% 85.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Chaguanas

$68 5.3% 12.1% $9.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $463 in Chaguanas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 61% 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 $60.0 in Chaguanas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $326 per month, with Chaguanas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇹🇹 Chaguanas

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

83,489

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, 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).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Chaguanas 5,080 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Chaguanas

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 Chaguanas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaguanas wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chaguanas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 61% 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 $463 in Chaguanas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,287 in Chaguanas – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,287 in Chaguanas versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chaguanas but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Chaguanas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chaguanas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,287 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chaguanas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Chaguanas 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 Chaguanas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.