Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Leon

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,223 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Leon

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,223 in Leon, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Leon $1,223

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,985 in Leon, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Leon $1,985

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,747 in Leon, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Leon $2,747

Montevideo costs about 45% more than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Leon is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$11.17 MX$206

35.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$55.2 MX$1,020

25.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.80 MX$163

66.48%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.03 MX$74.5

10.67%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.56 MX$28.84

71.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.25 MX$23.04

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.07 MX$56.8

57.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.93 MX$72.6

-3.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.71 MX$31.67

-20.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.68 MX$49.51

7.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.80 MX$33.31

-2.78%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.27 MX$60.4

43.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.21 MX$133

92.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$7.58 MX$140

58.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.81 MX$200

10.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.49 MX$46.03

11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.38 MX$25.59

98.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.83 MX$33.76

-3.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.54 MX$28.42

110.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.99 MX$36.75

-1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.09 MX$38.60

-0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.38 MX$25.56

-0.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.70 MX$12.89

168.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$6.97 MX$129

-19.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$13.63 MX$252

-35.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.37 MX$43.71

-4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.61 MX$66.7

-23.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.75 MX$13.93

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$35.67 MX$659

108.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.77 MX$51.1

-31.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.72 MX$50.2

-85.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$14.96 MX$276

-30.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.46 MX$26.97

45.89%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$21.2K MX$392.0K

27.79%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.2K MX$446.3K

50.14%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$21.60 MX$399

771.76%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$40.70 MX$752

-49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$58.3 MX$1,077

-23.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$60.7 MX$1,121

-11.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$34.51 MX$638

-42.77%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.47 MX$120

84.70%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$183 MX$3,386

246.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$3,826 MX$70.7K

188.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$56.8 MX$1,049

79.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$66.0 MX$1,219

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$101 MX$1,868

25.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$115 MX$2,122

11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$524 MX$9,681

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$360 MX$6,653

57.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$761 MX$14.1K

50.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$683 MX$12.6K

49.90%

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

$532 MX$9,839

133.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.6

-50.52%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Leon

$360 29.5% 36.6% $208

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Leon

$262 21.5% 20.9% $69

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Leon

$199 16.3% 26.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Leon

$121 9.9% 52.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Leon

$152 12.5% 18.2% $34

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Leon

$55 4.5% 34.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Leon

$74 6% 5.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $524 in Leon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 134% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $55.0 in Leon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $262 – making Leon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,579,803

💱 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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Between locations

Montevideo Leon 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 45% more than Leon, 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 $1,834 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 26% 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 $55.0 in Leon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Leon, where all-in costs run around $1,223, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Leon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Leon costs $1,223 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 Leon. 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.