Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
Learn more

Cusco Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $688 in Cusco.

Montevideo $1,813
Cusco $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,096 in Cusco.

Montevideo $2,782
Cusco $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $1,505 in Cusco.

Montevideo $3,750
Cusco $1,505

Living in Montevideo is roughly 164% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Cusco is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$1.99 PEN 6.85

666.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$20.55 PEN 70.7

228.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$6.70 PEN 23.04

114.48%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$2.11 PEN 7.24

119.91%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$0.78 PEN 2.69

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.33 PEN 1.13

533.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.72 PEN 5.92

176.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.33 PEN 14.90

-15.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.24 PEN 4.27

11.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.32 PEN 7.97

19.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.29 PEN 4.43

31.01%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.63 PEN 12.48

24.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$4.69 PEN 16.14

202.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$4.43 PEN 15.24

172.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$7.37 PEN 25.35

64.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.55 PEN 8.78

12.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$0.77 PEN 2.63

257.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$1.47 PEN 5.04

17.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$0.85 PEN 2.94

281.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.02 PEN 3.52

102.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.10 PEN 3.80

88.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.49 PEN 1.67

181.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$0.75 PEN 2.58

146.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$5.93 PEN 20.41

49.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.85 PEN 6.38

23.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$4.12 PEN 14.16

-34.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.30 PEN 1.04

406.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$1.72 PEN 5.91

5.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.93 PEN 6.65

-79.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$2.82 PEN 9.69

278.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.57 PEN 5.42

41.40%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

26.98%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$29.31 PEN 101

551.11%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$14.31 PEN 49.22

42.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$44.13 PEN 152

0.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$28.51 PEN 98.1

89.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$4.26 PEN 14.64

189.44%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$37.39 PEN 129

174.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$33.43 PEN 115

67.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$54.4 PEN 187

128.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$72.2 PEN 248

79.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$218 PEN 748

224.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$191 PEN 657

201.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$538 PEN 1,849

111.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$416 PEN 1,431

144.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

3.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$1,823 PEN 6,270

6.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$433 PEN 1,490

183.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 66.8% $385

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 43.8% $146

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 69.4% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 65.6% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 52.2% $97

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 84.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 53% $42

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 $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 184% 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 $21.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

428,450

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Cusco 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 164% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 184% 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 $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.