Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
Learn more

Ecatepec Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Ecatepec

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $961 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Ecatepec $961

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,670 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Ecatepec $1,670

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,380 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Ecatepec $2,380

Montevideo costs about 84% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Ecatepec is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$11.14 MX$206

36.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$50.1 MX$926

38.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.57 MX$177

53.08%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.71 MX$68.6

20.22%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.62 MX$30.02

64.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.09 MX$20.09

83.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.38 MX$62.5

42.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.59 MX$103

-32.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.72 MX$31.71

-20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.66 MX$49.12

7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.96 MX$36.17

-10.71%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.75 MX$50.9

70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.82 MX$163

57.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.12 MX$168

31.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$13.47 MX$249

-11.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.14 MX$58.0

-11.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.66 MX$30.74

65.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.04 MX$37.65

-13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.90 MX$35.12

70.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.79 MX$33.16

10.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.75 MX$32.42

18.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.49 MX$27.48

-8.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.19 MX$21.95

57.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.59 MX$84.9

21.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$16.62 MX$307

-47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.92 MX$35.43

17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.83 MX$70.7

-28.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.63 MX$11.72

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$31.01 MX$573

139.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.99 MX$36.81

-4.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.52 MX$9.68

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$5.32 MX$98.3

94.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.54 MX$28.48

38.31%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$21.5K MX$397.7K

25.97%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$23.5K MX$434.5K

54.24%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$57.7 MX$1,067

226.17%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$27.01 MX$499

-23.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$24.74 MX$457

81.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$26.37 MX$487

104.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$11.00 MX$203

79.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.47 MX$120

84.70%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$270 MX$4,996

134.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$5,048 MX$93.3K

118.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$59.1 MX$1,092

72.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$44.94 MX$830

28.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$100 MX$1,855

26.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$98.8 MX$1,826

29.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$243 MX$4,487

196.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$138 MX$2,550

311.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$683 MX$12.6K

67.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$444 MX$8,205

130.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$755 MX$14.0K

349.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$755 MX$13.9K

158.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$553 MX$10.2K

125.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Ecatepec

$138 14.4% 75.7% $430

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Ecatepec

$298 31% 10.1% $34

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Ecatepec

$201 21% 25.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Ecatepec

$109 11.4% 56.8% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Ecatepec

$136 14.2% 26.8% $50

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 54.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 49.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $243 in Ecatepec. 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 125% 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $50.0 in Ecatepec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $298 – making Ecatepec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

10:58 10:58 AM

07:58 7:58 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,645,352

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Ecatepec 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo, $961 in Ecatepec – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,441 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ecatepec, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo and $50.0 in Ecatepec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $961 in Ecatepec. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Ecatepec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $961 in Ecatepec to $1,771 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ecatepec. 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.