Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and El Viejo

For one person, living is cheaper in El Viejo: $819 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in El Viejo
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El Viejo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

El Viejo

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $819 in El Viejo.

Montevideo $1,771
El Viejo $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,281 in El Viejo.

Montevideo $2,740
El Viejo $1,281

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $1,744 in El Viejo.

Montevideo $3,708
El Viejo $1,744

Living in Montevideo is roughly 116% more expensive than in El Viejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, El Viejo is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.06 NIO 368

50.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$34.93 NIO 1,279

97.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.49 NIO 274

95.59%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.59 NIO 94.8

72.20%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.84 NIO 30.75

217.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.68 NIO 24.80

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.53 NIO 56.0

215.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.23 NIO 81.7

70.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.27 NIO 46.47

7.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.42 NIO 88.6

18.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.82 NIO 66.6

-3.85%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.39 NIO 87.7

95.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$11.41 NIO 418

21.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.42 NIO 235

86.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$7.83 NIO 287

52.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.12 NIO 151

-32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.58 NIO 21.37

372.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.78 NIO 65.3

-0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.41 NIO 88.2

34.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$4.02 NIO 147

-51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.17 NIO 79.3

-4.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.08 NIO 39.59

26.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.05 NIO 38.36

79.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$2.76 NIO 101

102.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$14.69 NIO 538

-40.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.47 NIO 53.8

53.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.16 NIO 79.0

27.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.59 NIO 58.1

20.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.62 NIO 59.3

-75.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.88 NIO 252

50.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.32 NIO 48.19

61.36%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$23.4K NIO 856.7K

15.90%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$26.5K NIO 969.5K

37.00%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$151 NIO 5,517

25.01%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$19.34 NIO 708

6.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$32.75 NIO 1,199

36.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$9.07 NIO 332

31.75%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$232 NIO 8,479

174.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

84.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$59.5 NIO 2,179

71.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$66.2 NIO 2,426

-13.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$120 NIO 4,406

5.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$143 NIO 5,246

-10.75%

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

11.92

-51.85%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for El Viejo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

El Viejo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

El Viejo

$261 31.9% 21.2% $70

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

El Viejo

$152 18.6% 43.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

El Viejo

$203 24.8% 20.1% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

El Viejo

$175 21.4% 6% $11

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

El Viejo

$9.7 * 1.2% 88.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

El Viejo

$18 * 2.2% 76.7% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $35.00 in El Viejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $261 per month, with El Viejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇳🇮 El Viejo

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

15:46 3:46 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

33,607

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo El Viejo 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
El Viejo

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 Viejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Viejo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 116% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $1,229 in El Viejo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $232 in El Viejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Viejo – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $819 in El Viejo versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in El Viejo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes El Viejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Viejo 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 El Viejo 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 El Viejo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.