Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Esmeraldas

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Esmeraldas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $789 in Esmeraldas.

Montevideo $1,771
Esmeraldas $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,359 in Esmeraldas.

Montevideo $2,740
Esmeraldas $1,359

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $1,929 in Esmeraldas.

Montevideo $3,708
Esmeraldas $1,929

Living in Montevideo is roughly 125% more expensive than in Esmeraldas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Esmeraldas is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$3.05 $3.05

397.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$53.6 $53.6

28.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$3.96 $3.96

269.95%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.30 $3.30

35.15%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.52 $0.52

413.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.49 $0.49

308.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.53 $3.53

36.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.87 $5.87

-35.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.02 $1.02

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.55 $1.55

85.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.51 $1.51

15.89%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.18 $2.18

114.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.38 $6.38

117.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.75 $5.75

108.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$7.94 $7.94

50.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.28 $2.28

21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.19 $1.19

130.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.32 $1.32

34.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.08 $1.08

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.25 $1.25

57.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.02 $1.02

102.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.48 $0.48

185.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.06 $1.06

77.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.85 $5.85

-4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$9.89 $9.89

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.53 $1.53

47.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.20 $3.20

-14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.35 $0.35

337.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$15.82 $15.82

369.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.54 $1.54

24.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.22 $1.22

-67.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.81 $9.81

5.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.87 $0.87

144.83%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$21.1K $21.1K

28.68%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$28.2K $28.2K

28.80%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$28.51 $28.51

560.47%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$17.81 $17.81

15.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$28.81 $28.81

55.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$30.46 $30.46

77.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$16.98 $16.98

16.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.53 $6.53

83.00%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$228 $228

178.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$9,109 $9,109

21.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$69.9 $69.9

46.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$49.87 $49.87

15.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$117 $117

8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$107 $107

19.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$297 $297

141.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$186 $186

206.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$622 $622

84.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$416 $416

145.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,353 $1,353

150.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$706 $706

176.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$451 $451

176.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.12

-43.28%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5% 67.3% $382

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8% 41% $136

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9% 59.4% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5% 70.4% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6% 17.1% $32

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2% 70.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5% 44.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $297 in Esmeraldas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 176% 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: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $54.0 in Esmeraldas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $196 per month, with Esmeraldas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

23:11 11:11 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

95,216

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Montevideo Esmeraldas 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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 Esmeraldas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 125% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 176% 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: $719 in Montevideo versus $297 in Esmeraldas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.