Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cuenca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuenca: $990 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
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Cuenca Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cuenca

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $990 in Cuenca, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Cuenca $990

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,480 in Cuenca, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Cuenca $1,480

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $1,969 in Cuenca, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Cuenca $1,969

Montevideo costs about 83% more than Cuenca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Cuenca is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$3.48 $3.48

338.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$29.45 $29.45

128.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$7.85 $7.85

83.06%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.67 $2.67

73.78%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$0.78 $0.78

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$0.71 $0.71

194.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.03 $2.03

133.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.27 $3.27

12.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.06 $1.06

30.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.13 $2.13

30.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.87 $1.87

-9.63%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.19 $2.19

106.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$6.87 $6.87

106.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.13 $6.13

96.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$7.26 $7.26

67.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.06 $2.06

39.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.05 $1.05

161.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$1.36 $1.36

27.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.39 $1.39

133.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.47 $1.47

40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.07 $1.07

93.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.79 $0.79

74.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.08 $1.08

71.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$5.39 $5.39

3.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.08 $10.08

-11.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.53 $1.53

49.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.94 $2.94

-8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.37 $0.37

310.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$15.70 $15.70

369.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$1.36 $1.36

33.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.08 $1.08

-62.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$10.85 $10.85

-1.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$0.88 $0.88

152.27%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$25.4K $25.4K

5.49%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$28.8K $28.8K

27.68%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$39.66 $39.66

381.19%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$13.65 $13.65

49.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$26.80 $26.80

64.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$29.54 $29.54

83.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$5.18 $5.18

279.92%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$7.24 $7.24

70.30%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$229 $229

168.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$6,919 $6,919

59.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$66.0 $66.0

55.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$46.74 $46.74

19.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$124 $124

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$73.0 $73.0

77.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$544 $544

29.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$386 $386

48.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$716 $716

58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$610 $610

66.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$1,222 $1,222

174.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$835 $835

132.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$562 $562

118.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.16

-48.57%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Cuenca

$386 39.2% 32.9% $189

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cuenca

$206 20.9% 37.9% $126

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Cuenca

$106 10.8% 60.9% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Cuenca

$80 8.1% 68.6% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Cuenca

$139 14.1% 25.1% $47

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Cuenca

$24 2.4% 71.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cuenca

$44 4.5% 44.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $544 in Cuenca. 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 119% 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 $29.00 in Cuenca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $206 – making Cuenca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇪🇨 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

495,776

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Cuenca 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cuenca

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 Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,486 in Cuenca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuenca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo and $29.00 in Cuenca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,813 in Montevideo and $990 in Cuenca. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cuenca, where all-in costs run around $990, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Cuenca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cuenca – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Cuenca. 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.