Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Irapuato

For one person, living is cheaper in Irapuato: $1,204 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Irapuato
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Irapuato Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Irapuato

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Irapuato

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,204 in Irapuato.

Montevideo $1,771
Irapuato $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,956 in Irapuato.

Montevideo $2,740
Irapuato $1,956

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

Montevideo $3,708
Irapuato $2,708

Living in Montevideo is roughly 47% more expensive than in Irapuato, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Irapuato is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.77 MX$199

40.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$49.62 MX$917

39.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.05 MX$204

32.58%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.77 MX$69.6

18.30%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.58 MX$29.13

68.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.29 MX$23.86

55.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.25 MX$60.0

48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.40 MX$99.8

-29.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.77 MX$32.75

-23.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.05 MX$56.4

-5.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.94 MX$35.81

-9.79%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.74 MX$50.7

70.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$11.82 MX$218

17.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.29 MX$172

28.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$14.63 MX$270

-18.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.14 MX$58.0

-11.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.01 MX$37.23

36.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.06 MX$38.02

-14.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.24 MX$41.38

44.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.02 MX$37.31

-2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.79 MX$33.17

15.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.51 MX$27.99

-9.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.28 MX$23.64

46.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.25 MX$97.0

6.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$16.46 MX$304

-46.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.98 MX$36.51

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$4.47 MX$82.6

-38.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.68 MX$12.65

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.09 MX$38.59

-8.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.58 MX$10.65

-31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$5.52 MX$102

87.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.32 MX$24.45

61.36%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.9K MX$385.6K

29.92%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.5K MX$453.3K

47.82%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$60.7 MX$1,121

210.37%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$28.25 MX$522

-27.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$33.99 MX$628

31.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$34.39 MX$635

56.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$20.22 MX$374

-2.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.42 MX$119

86.14%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$436 MX$8,057

45.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$4,659 MX$86.1K

137.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$70.0 MX$1,293

45.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$53.1 MX$981

8.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$106 MX$1,965

19.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$112 MX$2,075

13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$617 MX$11.4K

16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$347 MX$6,406

63.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,119 MX$20.7K

2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$697 MX$12.9K

46.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,833 MX$33.9K

85.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,320 MX$24.4K

47.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$347 MX$6,410

258.80%

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 Irapuato: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Irapuato

$347 28.8% 39% $221

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Irapuato

$323 26.8% 2.7% $8.8

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Irapuato

$203 16.9% 24.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Irapuato

$123 10.2% 51.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Irapuato

$154 12.8% 17.5% $33

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Irapuato

$7.7 * 0.6% 90.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Irapuato

$47 3.9% 39.4% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $617 in Irapuato. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 259% 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 $50.0 in Irapuato for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $323 per month, with Irapuato cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Irapuato

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

452,090

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Irapuato 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Irapuato

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 Irapuato: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Irapuato differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $1,204 including rent). Irapuato is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 259% 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 $617 in Irapuato. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,204 in Irapuato – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Irapuato versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Irapuato but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Irapuato the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Irapuato 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 Irapuato gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.