Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,167 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cozumel

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,167 in Cozumel.

Montevideo $1,813
Cozumel $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,884 in Cozumel.

Montevideo $2,782
Cozumel $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $2,602 in Cozumel.

Montevideo $3,750
Cozumel $2,602

Living in Montevideo is roughly 55% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Cozumel is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$8.71 MX$158

75.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$45.03 MX$819

49.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$8.23 MX$150

74.61%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$2.79 MX$50.7

66.31%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.11 MX$20.20

145.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$1.02 MX$18.62

104.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.69 MX$30.74

181.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.17 MX$57.7

15.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.43 MX$26.05

-3.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.64 MX$29.92

68.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.76 MX$32.02

-3.98%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$1.89 MX$34.40

139.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$10.33 MX$188

37.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$8.06 MX$147

49.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$12.85 MX$234

-5.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.47 MX$44.91

16.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.40 MX$25.46

96.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$2.13 MX$38.71

-18.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.53 MX$27.90

111.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.24 MX$40.74

-7.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.77 MX$32.13

16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.46 MX$26.57

-5.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$1.20 MX$21.83

54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.43 MX$80.6

25.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.96 MX$199

-18.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.54 MX$27.97

48.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.57 MX$46.70

5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.69 MX$12.47

120.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$67.2 MX$1,222

9.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.84 MX$51.6

-35.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.97 MX$35.87

-79.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$9.29 MX$169

14.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.37 MX$24.88

62.04%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$20.5K MX$373.6K

30.23%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.3K MX$442.7K

50.96%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$59.7 MX$1,087

219.45%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$20.99 MX$382

-2.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$22.26 MX$405

98.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$39.08 MX$711

38.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$20.46 MX$372

-3.81%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$6.13 MX$112

101.14%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$261 MX$4,745

135.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$3,671 MX$66.8K

201.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$54.3 MX$988

89.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$54.2 MX$985

3.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$104 MX$1,893

19.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$84.7 MX$1,541

53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$606 MX$11.0K

16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$399 MX$7,259

44.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,619 MX$29.4K

-29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$767 MX$13.9K

32.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$1,922 MX$35.0K

74.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$1,163 MX$21.2K

66.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$662 MX$12.0K

85.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.64

-50.69%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cozumel: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Cozumel

$399 33.9% 30.6% $176

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cozumel

$257 21.8% 22.6% $75

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Cozumel

$151 12.8% 44.3% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Cozumel

$103 8.7% 59.7% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Cozumel

$134 11.4% 28% $52

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Cozumel

$83 7% 1.1% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cozumel

$51 4.4% 34.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Montevideo and $606 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 86% 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: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $45.00 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $257 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

21:52 9:52 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

77,236

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Cozumel 6,960 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Cozumel differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,813 vs $1,167 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% 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: $705 in Montevideo versus $606 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Cozumel versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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 Cozumel 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 Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.