Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cotacachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotacachi: $720 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cotacachi
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Cotacachi Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Cotacachi

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cotacachi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $720 in Cotacachi.

Montevideo $1,771
Cotacachi $720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,175 in Cotacachi.

Montevideo $2,740
Cotacachi $1,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $1,629 in Cotacachi.

Montevideo $3,708
Cotacachi $1,629

Living in Montevideo is roughly 146% more expensive than in Cotacachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Cotacachi is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$3.96 $3.96

282.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$25.62 $25.62

169.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$4.41 $4.41

232.20%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.18 $2.18

104.59%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.31 $1.31

103.82%

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

$2.02 $2.02

139.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$4.08 $4.08

-6.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.11 $1.11

22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.52 $1.52

88.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.58 $1.58

10.76%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.16 $2.16

116.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$6.29 $6.29

120.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$5.47 $5.47

119.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$7.45 $7.45

60.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$2.24 $2.24

24.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.14 $1.14

140.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$1.32 $1.32

34.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.14 $1.14

184.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$1.21 $1.21

62.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$1.06 $1.06

95.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$0.83 $0.83

65.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.05 $1.05

79.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.48 $4.48

24.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$7.63 $7.63

15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$1.57 $1.57

43.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.13 $3.13

-12.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$0.44 $0.44

247.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

$15.20 $15.20

388.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$1.27 $1.27

50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$0.91 $0.91

-56.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.86 $9.86

4.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$0.75 $0.75

184.00%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.7K $20.7K

30.72%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$28.5K $28.5K

27.46%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$29.15 $29.15

545.97%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$12.84 $12.84

59.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$26.50 $26.50

69.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$29.46 $29.46

83.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$9.84 $9.84

100.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$6.56 $6.56

82.16%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$73.7 $73.7

761.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$2,981 $2,981

270.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$41.85 $41.85

144.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$42.72 $42.72

34.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$94.0 $94.0

34.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$60.6 $60.6

110.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$268 $268

168.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$191 $191

197.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$479 $479

138.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$417 $417

145.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$609 $609

456.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$506 $506

285.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$429 $429

190.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.12

-43.28%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cotacachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Cotacachi

$191 26.5% 66.4% $377

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cotacachi

$190 26.4% 42.7% $142

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Cotacachi

$98 13.6% 63.7% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Cotacachi

$68 9.5% 73% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Cotacachi

$108 15% 42.2% $79

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Cotacachi

$23 3.2% 73% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Cotacachi

$43 5.9% 45.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $268 in Cotacachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 190% 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 $26.00 in Cotacachi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $190 per month, with Cotacachi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇪🇨 Cotacachi

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

8,238

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 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 = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Between locations

Montevideo Cotacachi 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cotacachi

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 Cotacachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Cotacachi differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $720 including rent). Cotacachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 190% 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 $268 in Cotacachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotacachi runs roughly 389% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $73.7 in Cotacachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $720 in Cotacachi versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cotacachi but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cotacachi 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 Cotacachi 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 Cotacachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.