Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Costa Rica: $1,813 and $1,735 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Montevideo is 1.1% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Montevideo is 2.1% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 1.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$11.78 ₡5,312

29.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$55.5 ₡25.0K

21.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$10.72 ₡4,831

34.05%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$4.49 ₡2,023

3.34%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.33 ₡1,051

17.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.81 ₡815

15.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.23 ₡1,455

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.42 ₡1,992

-16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.30 ₡1,037

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.55 ₡1,600

-21.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$2.71 ₡1,221

-37.64%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.05 ₡1,825

11.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$9.92 ₡4,473

42.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$10.49 ₡4,729

15.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$13.56 ₡6,111

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$5.13 ₡2,312

-44.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.68 ₡758

63.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$3.63 ₡1,639

-52.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.24 ₡1,463

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.40 ₡1,534

-39.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.09 ₡1,394

-33.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.11 ₡501

24.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.64 ₡1,192

-29.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$5.43 ₡2,446

2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$15.63 ₡7,048

-43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.75 ₡1,238

-16.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.27 ₡1,472

-17.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$1.07 ₡480

42.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$65.3 ₡29.4K

12.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$2.18 ₡981

-16.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$2.03 ₡916

-80.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$8.82 ₡3,977

20.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.53 ₡688

45.10%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$32.8K ₡14.8M

-18.40%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$36.0K ₡16.2M

2.13%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$93.4 ₡42.1K

104.33%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$30.19 ₡13.6K

-32.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$57.1 ₡25.7K

-22.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-16.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$22.13 ₡9,976

-11.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$8.09 ₡3,645

52.41%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$740 ₡333.8K

-17.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

-12.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$75.5 ₡34.0K

36.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$54.6 ₡24.6K

2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$127 ₡57.4K

-2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$107 ₡48.3K

20.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$833 ₡375.3K

-15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$641 ₡289.1K

-10.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$1,776 ₡800.8K

-35.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,191 ₡536.9K

-14.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$2,437 ₡1.1M

37.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$1,631 ₡735.2K

19.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,033 ₡465.8K

18.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

9.56

-39.96%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 11.5% $66

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 14% $47

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 18.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 29.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 11.7% $22

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 2% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 3.1% $2.5

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Costa Rica 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Costa Rica

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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