Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Ciudad del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Carmen: $1,151 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Carmen
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Ciudad del Carmen Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Ciudad del Carmen

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 Ciudad del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,151 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Montevideo $1,813
Ciudad del Carmen $1,151

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,870 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Montevideo $2,782
Ciudad del Carmen $1,870

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $2,589 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Montevideo $3,750
Ciudad del Carmen $2,589

Living in Montevideo is roughly 58% more expensive than in Ciudad del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Ciudad del Carmen is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$11.25 MX$207

35.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$43.87 MX$805

53.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$8.45 MX$155

70.06%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.70 MX$68.0

25.41%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.42 MX$26.11

92.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.08 MX$19.81

93.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.58 MX$47.46

84.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.93 MX$72.1

-6.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.62 MX$29.69

-14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.64 MX$48.41

4.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.69 MX$30.97

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.45 MX$44.95

84.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$8.40 MX$154

68.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$8.67 MX$159

39.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$11.72 MX$215

3.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.73 MX$50.2

5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.59 MX$29.22

72.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$1.97 MX$36.17

-12.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.83 MX$33.68

77.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.95 MX$35.87

6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.86 MX$34.12

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.43 MX$26.27

-3.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.10 MX$20.23

68.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.51 MX$82.8

23.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.52 MX$193

-15.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.77 MX$32.44

29.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.22 MX$59.1

-16.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.64 MX$11.70

137.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$2.70 MX$49.54

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.97 MX$36.25

-79.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$11.20 MX$206

-4.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.43 MX$26.22

55.24%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.7K MX$399.0K

23.06%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.1K MX$442.5K

52.45%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$60.2 MX$1,106

216.80%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$22.99 MX$422

-11.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$29.54 MX$542

49.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$34.98 MX$642

54.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$20.48 MX$376

-3.91%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$5.23 MX$96.1

135.76%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$221 MX$4,049

177.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$4,665 MX$85.7K

136.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$55.7 MX$1,023

84.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$42.52 MX$781

31.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$101 MX$1,861

22.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$92.2 MX$1,693

40.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$614 MX$11.3K

14.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$393 MX$7,216

46.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,046 MX$19.2K

8.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$773 MX$14.2K

31.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$1,941 MX$35.6K

72.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$1,179 MX$21.6K

64.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Carmen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Ciudad del Carmen

$393 34% 31.7% $182

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Ciudad del Carmen

$268 23.2% 19.4% $64

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Ciudad del Carmen

$191 16.5% 29.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Ciudad del Carmen

$113 9.8% 55.8% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Ciudad del Carmen

$131 11.4% 29.3% $54

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Ciudad del Carmen

$15 * 1.3% 81.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Ciudad del Carmen

$45 3.9% 42.3% $33

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 $705 in Montevideo and $614 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $44.00 in Ciudad del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $268 per month, with Ciudad del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Ciudad del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

191,238

💱 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

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Between locations

Montevideo Ciudad del Carmen 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Ciudad del Carmen

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 Ciudad del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Ciudad del Carmen differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,813 vs $1,151 including rent). Ciudad del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,720 in Montevideo and $1,726 in Ciudad del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $614 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,813 per month in Montevideo versus $1,151 in Ciudad del Carmen – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,151 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Ciudad del Carmen 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 Ciudad del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.