Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $631 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
41

Cost of Living Index in La Romana
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La Romana Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $631 in La Romana, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
La Romana $631

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,014 in La Romana, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
La Romana $1,014

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,398 in La Romana, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
La Romana $1,398

Montevideo costs about 180% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while La Romana is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$8.43 DOP 516

79.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$40.80 DOP 2,499

69.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.16 DOP 439

104.61%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.75 DOP 107

154.86%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.71 DOP 43.32

276.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.32 DOP 19.33

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.43 DOP 149

98.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.97 DOP 244

-4.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.05 DOP 64.1

29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.80 DOP 110

59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.51 DOP 92.3

15.89%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.48 DOP 91.0

216.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.28 DOP 384

121.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$3.53 DOP 216

239.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$4.62 DOP 283

159.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.61 DOP 221

-22.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.38 DOP 84.3

98.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.23 DOP 198

-45.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.13 DOP 131

52.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.58 DOP 220

-44.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.87 DOP 176

-27.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.88 DOP 53.9

55.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.60 DOP 98.2

17.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.66 DOP 285

19.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$16.45 DOP 1,007

-46.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$3.00 DOP 184

-24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.48 DOP 213

-20.98%

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

$2.49 DOP 153

-23.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.23 DOP 198

-87.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.39 DOP 85.1

53.24%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$15.1K DOP 922.4K

80.03%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.5K DOP 1.6M

42.30%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$95.3 DOP 5,837

97.63%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$9.68 DOP 593

112.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$39.12 DOP 2,397

14.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.97 DOP 305

140.44%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$146 DOP 8,946

334.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$5,480 DOP 335.7K

101.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$26.84 DOP 1,644

280.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$45.24 DOP 2,772

27.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$60.6 DOP 3,713

108.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$67.0 DOP 4,104

90.81%

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

-47.82%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for La Romana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

La Romana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

La Romana

$235 37.2% 29.2% $97

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

La Romana

$134 21.2% 50.2% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

La Romana

$144 22.8% 43.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

La Romana

$90 14.2% 51.8% $96

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

La Romana

$19 * 3% 77.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

La Romana

$9.9 * 1.6% 87.2% $68

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 $41.00 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $235 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

567,431

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo La Romana 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
La Romana

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 Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 180%, 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 $947 in La Romana. 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 $631 in La Romana. That's a gap of about 180%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $146 in La Romana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In La Romana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Romana – 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 La Romana. 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.