Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Ilopango

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilopango: $1,625 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Ilopango
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Ilopango Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Ilopango

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Ilopango

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,625 in Ilopango.

Montevideo $1,813
Ilopango $1,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,858 in Ilopango.

Montevideo $2,782
Ilopango $1,858

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $2,090 in Ilopango.

Montevideo $3,750
Ilopango $2,090

Living in Montevideo is roughly 12% more expensive than in Ilopango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 35% above, Ilopango 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$3.16 $3.16

382.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$44.12 $44.12

52.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$5.04 $5.04

185.12%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.94 $2.94

57.82%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$0.93 $0.93

193.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$0.97 $0.97

115.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$0.91 $0.91

421.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$1.75 $1.75

109.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$3.28 $3.28

-57.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$1.44 $1.44

92.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$3.07 $3.07

-44.95%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.92 $2.92

54.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$5.02 $5.02

182.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$5.86 $5.86

105.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$9.86 $9.86

23.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.92 $2.92

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.02 $2.02

36.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.03 $2.03

-14.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.95 $1.95

66.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.02 $2.02

2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.97 $1.97

5.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.93 $0.93

48.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$0.97 $0.97

90.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$3.95 $3.95

41.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.18 $12.18

-27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$0.98 $0.98

133.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.06 $2.06

31.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.88 $0.88

72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$35.67 $35.67

106.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$7.16 $7.16

-74.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$2.16 $2.16

-81.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$4.71 $4.71

126.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$0.67 $0.67

231.34%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$19.9K $19.9K

34.12%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$26.1K $26.1K

40.94%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$34.38 $34.38

455.09%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$9.97 $9.97

104.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$39.70 $39.70

11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$39.80 $39.80

36.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$10.04 $10.04

96.02%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$4.97 $4.97

148.09%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$104 $104

487.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$1,904 $1,904

480.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$20.18 $20.18

409.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$29.95 $29.95

87.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$75.4 $75.4

65.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$58.9 $58.9

120.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$677 $677

4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$1,038 $1,038

-44.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$585 $585

94.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$640 $640

58.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$1,747 $1,747

91.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$949 $949

104.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$976 $976

25.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-4.33%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ilopango: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Ilopango

$1K 62.9% 80.5% $463

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Ilopango

$248 15% 25.3% $84

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Ilopango

$91 5.5% 66.3% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Ilopango

$84 5.1% 67.1% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Ilopango

$83 5% 55.4% $103

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Ilopango

$57 3.5% 31.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Ilopango

$50 3% 36.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Montevideo and $677 in Ilopango. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 26% 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: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $44.00 in Ilopango for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $248 per month, with Ilopango cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇻 Ilopango

🕒 Local time

03:59 3:59 AM

00:59 12:59 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

38,890

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Ilopango 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Ilopango

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 Ilopango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilopango is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $705 in Montevideo versus $677 in Ilopango. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $613 in Montevideo versus $104 in Ilopango. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,625 in Ilopango versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Ilopango but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Ilopango the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ilopango 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 Ilopango 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 Ilopango gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.