Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Chihuahua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,235 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
Learn more

Chihuahua Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Chihuahua

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,235 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Chihuahua $1,235

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,838 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Chihuahua $1,838

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $2,441 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Chihuahua $2,441

Montevideo costs about 47% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Chihuahua is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$10.89 MX$200

40.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$33.13 MX$608

103.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$11.03 MX$202

30.28%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.43 MX$44.60

90.95%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.23 MX$22.55

121.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$0.76 MX$13.90

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.42 MX$44.37

96.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.12 MX$75.6

-10.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.65 MX$30.23

-16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.27 MX$60.0

-15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$2.13 MX$39.08

-20.66%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.58 MX$47.33

75.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$9.32 MX$171

52.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.99 MX$128

72.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$12.49 MX$229

-2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.53 MX$46.42

13.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.63 MX$29.85

68.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.05 MX$37.63

-15.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.90 MX$53.3

11.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.42 MX$44.47

-14.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.65 MX$48.64

-21.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.35 MX$24.85

2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.16 MX$21.33

59.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.51 MX$82.8

23.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.53 MX$193

-15.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.48 MX$27.09

54.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.90 MX$53.3

-6.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.57 MX$10.48

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$33.79 MX$620

117.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$2.72 MX$50.0

-33.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$0.79 MX$14.42

-49.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$10.03 MX$184

6.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.51 MX$27.69

47.02%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.3K MX$391.7K

25.37%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.2K MX$444.2K

51.87%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$83.2 MX$1,527

129.46%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$21.01 MX$386

-2.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$24.02 MX$441

83.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$28.14 MX$517

92.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$4.89 MX$89.7

152.15%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$269 MX$4,939

127.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$3,353 MX$61.6K

229.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$48.73 MX$895

110.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$25.25 MX$464

122.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$103 MX$1,893

20.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$90.3 MX$1,657

43.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$605 MX$11.1K

16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$463 MX$8,506

24.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,119 MX$20.6K

1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$718 MX$13.2K

41.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$3,385 MX$62.1K

-1.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$1,112 MX$20.4K

74.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$863 MX$15.8K

42.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.84

-47.05%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Chihuahua

$463 37.1% 19.5% $112

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Chihuahua

$280 22.4% 15.9% $53

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Chihuahua

$178 14.2% 34.5% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Chihuahua

$128 10.3% 49.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Chihuahua

$120 9.6% 35.3% $66

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Chihuahua

$43 3.4% 48.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Chihuahua

$38 3% 51.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $605 in Chihuahua. 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 43% 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 $33.00 in Chihuahua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $280 – making Chihuahua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

925,762

💱 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 = 45.06 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 = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Chihuahua 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 47% more than Chihuahua, 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 $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,852 in Chihuahua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chihuahua, 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 $269 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chihuahua, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Chihuahua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chihuahua costs $1,235 versus $1,813 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 Chihuahua. 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.