Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Guanajuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanajuato: $1,054 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Guanajuato
Learn more

Guanajuato Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Guanajuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Guanajuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,054 in Guanajuato.

Montevideo $1,771
Guanajuato $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,619 in Guanajuato.

Montevideo $2,740
Guanajuato $1,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,185 in Guanajuato.

Montevideo $3,708
Guanajuato $2,185

Living in Montevideo is roughly 68% more expensive than in Guanajuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Guanajuato is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$13.62 MX$252

11.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$44.07 MX$814

56.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.59 MX$140

93.02%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.86 MX$71.3

15.54%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.67 MX$30.87

59.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.99 MX$18.28

102.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.67 MX$49.29

80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.84 MX$89.4

-21.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.59 MX$29.41

-14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.61 MX$48.21

9.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.44 MX$26.68

21.53%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.38 MX$44.03

96.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$4.84 MX$89.5

186.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.57 MX$177

25.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.88 MX$219

0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.72 MX$50.2

2.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.64 MX$30.31

67.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.03 MX$37.59

-12.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.55 MX$28.73

109.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.98 MX$36.64

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.83 MX$33.75

13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.52 MX$28.00

-9.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.06 MX$19.65

77.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.83 MX$89.3

15.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$10.74 MX$198

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.88 MX$34.77

20.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.46 MX$64.0

-20.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.58 MX$10.64

163.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$27.18 MX$502

173.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.17 MX$40.16

-11.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.38 MX$25.53

-71.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.94 MX$165

15.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.48 MX$27.33

43.92%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.4K MX$376.1K

33.18%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.0K MX$443.1K

51.25%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$50.7 MX$937

271.33%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$20.05 MX$371

2.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$27.98 MX$517

60.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$31.52 MX$582

71.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$27.44 MX$507

-28.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.63 MX$122

80.24%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$209 MX$3,862

203.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$5,492 MX$101.5K

101.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$59.3 MX$1,096

72.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$37.24 MX$688

54.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$77.5 MX$1,432

63.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$57.3 MX$1,058

123.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$518 MX$9,579

38.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$295 MX$5,460

92.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$779 MX$14.4K

47.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$388 MX$7,179

163.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,346 MX$24.9K

152.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,086 MX$20.1K

79.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$712 MX$13.1K

74.91%

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 Guanajuato: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Guanajuato

$295 28% 48% $272

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Guanajuato

$261 24.8% 21.3% $71

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Guanajuato

$212 20.1% 21.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Guanajuato

$99 9.4% 61.1% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Guanajuato

$104 9.9% 44.1% $82

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Guanajuato

$39 3.7% 54.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Guanajuato

$45 4.3% 42.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $518 in Guanajuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 75% 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 $44.00 in Guanajuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $261 per month, with Guanajuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Guanajuato

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

70,068

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Guanajuato 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Guanajuato

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 Guanajuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guanajuato wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guanajuato the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $518 in Guanajuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guanajuato – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,054 in Guanajuato versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Guanajuato but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Guanajuato the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Guanajuato delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,054 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Guanajuato hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.