Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $565 in La Merced, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
La Merced $565

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $917 in La Merced, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
La Merced $917

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,269 in La Merced, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
La Merced $1,269

Montevideo costs about 213% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while La Merced is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$4.38 PEN 15.04

246.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$34.69 PEN 119

99.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$6.77 PEN 23.26

116.40%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.16 PEN 10.84

41.14%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.07 PEN 3.67

149.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.64 PEN 2.20

212.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.60 PEN 8.93

85.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.33 PEN 14.87

-12.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.63 PEN 5.60

-16.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.98 PEN 6.79

44.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.28 PEN 4.40

36.72%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.34 PEN 8.04

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.09 PEN 24.34

95.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.88 PEN 20.21

103.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$8.65 PEN 29.69

38.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$1.01 PEN 3.45

175.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.46 PEN 1.58

495.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$0.28 PEN 0.95

532.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$0.75 PEN 2.57

332.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$0.30 PEN 1.05

556.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$0.42 PEN 1.45

392.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.61 PEN 2.08

124.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.91 PEN 3.14

106.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.61 PEN 19.25

-0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$7.36 PEN 25.26

19.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.87 PEN 6.43

20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.23 PEN 11.10

-14.86%

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

$3.82 PEN 13.12

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.08 PEN 7.14

-80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$7.40 PEN 25.41

39.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.74 PEN 5.97

22.41%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

22.53%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

42.29%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$72.8 PEN 250

158.51%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$16.49 PEN 56.6

24.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$27.80 PEN 95.5

61.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.34 PEN 25.22

62.81%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$181 PEN 622

250.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

-16.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$52.6 PEN 181

94.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$35.20 PEN 121

63.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$82.0 PEN 282

54.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$79.1 PEN 272

61.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

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

8.94

-35.79%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

La Merced

$186 32.8% 44.1% $146

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

La Merced

$122 21.5% 54.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

La Merced

$117 20.7% 53.8% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

La Merced

$112 19.8% 39.9% $74

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 83.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

La Merced

$15 * 2.6% 81.1% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $35.00 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $186 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

14:49 2:49 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo La Merced 3,540 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 213% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $848 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $565 in La Merced. That's a gap of about 213%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $181 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Merced costs $565 versus $1,771 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 La Merced. 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.