Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
Learn more

Guanacaste Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Guanacaste

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Guanacaste $1,548

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,428 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Guanacaste $2,428

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,309 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Guanacaste $3,309

Montevideo costs about 14% more than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and Guanacaste sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Guanacaste by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$10.82 ₡4,860

40.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$48.68 ₡21.9K

42.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$11.68 ₡5,248

25.43%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.53 ₡2,036

-1.55%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.75 ₡1,236

-2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.94 ₡872

3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.16 ₡1,420

52.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$4.54 ₡2,041

-16.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$2.00 ₡897

-32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.04 ₡1,366

-5.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$2.43 ₡1,092

-27.98%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.54 ₡1,591

32.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$5.44 ₡2,442

155.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$4.47 ₡2,006

168.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$10.84 ₡4,870

10.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$2.56 ₡1,149

8.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.64 ₡737

67.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$4.51 ₡2,026

-60.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.56 ₡699

107.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$3.90 ₡1,753

-49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$2.23 ₡1,004

-7.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$0.85 ₡384

61.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$3.09 ₡1,389

-39.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.42 ₡1,988

26.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$20.31 ₡9,125

-56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.90 ₡1,302

-22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.66 ₡1,193

3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$1.30 ₡583

17.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.45 ₡1,102

-22.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$1.55 ₡698

-74.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.80 ₡3,952

17.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.55 ₡696

37.42%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

24.20%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$35.4K ₡15.9M

2.33%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$96.5 ₡43.4K

95.17%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$36.34 ₡16.3K

-43.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$32.76 ₡14.7K

36.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-25.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$7.57 ₡3,401

57.86%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$974 ₡437.5K

-34.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-36.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$65.6 ₡29.5K

55.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$43.46 ₡19.5K

32.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$88.9 ₡39.9K

42.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$76.9 ₡34.5K

66.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$812 ₡364.9K

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$625 ₡280.9K

-9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,920 ₡862.8K

-40.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,264 ₡568.2K

-19.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.62

-33.41%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Guanacaste

$625 40.4% 10.1% $57

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Guanacaste

$311 20.1% 6.2% $21

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Guanacaste

$220 14.2% 18.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Guanacaste

$166 10.7% 34.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Guanacaste

$124 8% 33.6% $63

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Guanacaste

$15 * 1% 81.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Guanacaste

$87 5.6% 12% $9.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $812 in Guanacaste. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $49.00 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $311 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

08:57 8:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,823

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Guanacaste 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Guanacaste

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 Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,321 in Guanacaste. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guanacaste, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $1,548 in Guanacaste. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $974 in Guanacaste. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Guanacaste. 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.