Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Isla de Margarita

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla de Margarita: $656 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Isla de Margarita

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Isla de Margarita

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 Isla de Margarita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $656 in Isla de Margarita, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Isla de Margarita $656

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,223 in Isla de Margarita, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Isla de Margarita $1,223

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,790 in Isla de Margarita, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Isla de Margarita $1,790

Montevideo costs about 170% more than Isla de Margarita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Isla de Margarita is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.12 VES 8,883

49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$80.7 VES 70.8K

-14.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.54 VES 2,229

75.59%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.01 VES 890

164.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.49 VES 1,308

34.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.02 VES 896

373.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.98 VES 2,614

27.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.03 VES 1,786

-33.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.92 VES 2,564

-1.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.98 VES 1,738

-11.62%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.33 VES 2,045

100.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.93 VES 6,958

75.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$7.93 VES 6,964

51.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$8.13 VES 7,135

47.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.11 VES 3,608

-32.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.48 VES 1,303

85.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.04 VES 1,793

-13.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.56 VES 2,249

26.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.52 VES 1,337

29.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.85 VES 1,627

11.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.97 VES 852

41.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$5.03 VES 4,413

74.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.03 VES 904

119.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.53 VES 1,342

79.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$3.08 VES 2,702

-37.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.96 VES 2,597

-86.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$30.45 VES 26.7K

518.39%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$15.02 VES 13.2K

36.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$39.21 VES 34.4K

14.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$49.52 VES 43.5K

8.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$14.94 VES 13.1K

32.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.01 VES 4,402

138.52%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$79.8 VES 70.1K

27.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$98.3 VES 86.3K

28.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$102 VES 89.2K

25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$294 VES 258.2K

144.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$506 VES 444.1K

126.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$602 VES 528.6K

463.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Isla de Margarita: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Isla de Margarita

–

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Isla de Margarita

–

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Isla de Margarita

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Isla de Margarita

–

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Isla de Margarita

–

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Isla de Margarita

–

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Isla de Margarita

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $294 in Isla de Margarita. 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 $81.0 in Isla de Margarita. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $235 in Isla de Margarita – so Isla de Margarita wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇪 Isla de Margarita

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

10:18 10:18 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

90,387

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, 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).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Montevideo Isla de Margarita 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Isla de Margarita

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 Isla de Margarita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $984 in Isla de Margarita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 41% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $81.0 in Isla de Margarita. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Isla de Margarita, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Isla de Margarita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isla de Margarita – 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 Isla de Margarita. 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.