Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and El Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in El Alto: $291 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
14

Cost of Living Index in El Alto
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El Alto Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

El Alto

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$291

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in El Alto

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $291 in El Alto, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
El Alto $291

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $456 in El Alto, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
El Alto $456

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $621 in El Alto, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
El Alto $621

Montevideo costs about 509% more than El Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while El Alto is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$1.16 BOB 13.52

1206.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$9.21 BOB 107

650.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$4.00 BOB 46.42

266.25%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.70 BOB 19.73

162.35%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.67 BOB 7.75

298.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.43 BOB 4.96

365.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.29 BOB 14.97

274.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.39 BOB 27.74

59.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$0.70 BOB 8.09

94.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$0.83 BOB 9.64

245.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$0.74 BOB 8.57

136.49%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.24 BOB 14.43

277.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$3.51 BOB 40.80

295.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$3.38 BOB 39.27

254.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$4.43 BOB 51.5

170.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$1.69 BOB 19.58

64.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.50 BOB 5.79

448.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$0.48 BOB 5.60

268.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$0.78 BOB 9.09

315.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$0.54 BOB 6.31

264.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$0.52 BOB 6.06

298.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.54 BOB 6.27

153.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.66 BOB 7.67

184.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$1.84 BOB 21.31

203.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$2.98 BOB 34.65

194.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.34 BOB 15.52

68.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.59 BOB 18.50

72.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.18 BOB 2.07

750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.06 BOB 12.32

80.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.86 BOB 10.04

-53.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.28 BOB 96.1

24.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.50 BOB 5.81

326.00%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$9,370 BOB 108.8K

189.30%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$11.9K BOB 137.7K

205.79%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$23.13 BOB 269

714.09%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$14.37 BOB 167

42.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$18.60 BOB 216

140.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.04 BOB 46.86

195.79%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$126 BOB 1,458

405.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$1,328 BOB 15.4K

732.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$15.73 BOB 183

549.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$25.24 BOB 293

127.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$41.68 BOB 484

203.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$35.48 BOB 412

260.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

7.94

-27.71%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for El Alto: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

El Alto

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

El Alto

$110 37.8% 66.9% $222

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

El Alto

$57 19.7% 78.7% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

El Alto

$56 19.3% 77.9% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

El Alto

$53 18.3% 71.5% $133

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

El Alto

$6.1 * 2.1% 92.8% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

El Alto

$8.1 * 2.8% 89.6% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $9.00 in El Alto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $110 – making El Alto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇧🇴 El Alto

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

405,492

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 BOB = 8.61 USD

100 BOB = 7.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BOB, 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).

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 11.61 BOB (100 BOB = 8.61 USD). 1 EUR = 13.05 BOB (100 BOB = 7.66 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo El Alto 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
El Alto

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 El Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo, $291 in El Alto – roughly 509% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $436 in El Alto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $291 in El Alto. That's a gap of about 509%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $126 in El Alto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Alto, where all-in costs run around $291, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In El Alto 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 $291 in El Alto 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 El Alto. 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.