Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Montevideo $1,771
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,784 in Montevideo versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Montevideo $2,784
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,797 in Montevideo versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Montevideo $3,797
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 20% less than in Lisbon.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 30% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 628

$16.65 €14.91

-6.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,811

$61.7 €55.3

13.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 583

$11.36 €10.17

27.73%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$2.97 €2.66

49.16%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$2.29 €2.05

8.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.4

$1.74 €1.56

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$3.40 €3.05

40.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$3.31 €2.96

10.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.16 €1.04

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$1.91 €1.71

56.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$1.51 €1.35

15.23%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$4.02 €3.60

19.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$12.94 €11.59

8.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 456

$7.77 €6.96

46.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$17.76 €15.91

-31.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.30 €2.06

19.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$1.73 €1.55

63.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$1.86 €1.66

-12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$2.59 €2.32

22.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$1.82 €1.63

10.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$1.97 €1.76

8.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 55.9

$1.47 €1.32

-5.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$0.72 €0.65

169.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$6.58 €5.90

-18.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$5.61 €5.02

48.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$1.36 €1.22

72.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.14 €1.91

30.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$2.33 €2.09

-33.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,011

$44.68 €40.01

67.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$3.85 €3.45

-50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.54

$1.07 €0.96

-61.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$16.46 €14.74

-36.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$2.20 €1.97

1.36%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$34.2K €30.6K

-22.39%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$38.7K €34.7K

-7.42%

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

$184 UYU 7,388

$161 €144

14.02%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$18.41 €16.49

9.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,738

$32.74 €29.32

32.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,948

$44.55 €39.90

8.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$19.10 €17.10

3.19%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$9.60 €8.60

26.15%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$668 €598

-4.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 441.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

-37.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,048

$102 €91.4

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,288

$44.46 €39.82

28.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,934

$98.5 €88.2

24.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,238

$124 €111

5.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$1,608 €1,440

-53.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$1,190 €1,066

-51.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$2,812 €2,519

-54.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$2,013 €1,803

-44.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.8K

$7,839 €7,021

-53.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.5K

$4,576 €4,098

-55.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$1,575 €1,411

-18.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

3.85

46.75%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 105% $610

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 17.5% $58

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Lisbon

$243 11% 10.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 14.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 10.2% $19

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 25.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 12.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $747 in Montevideo and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 23% 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: $70 in Montevideo vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

3 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 40.19 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.88 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Lisbon 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Montevideo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $747 in Montevideo versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $636 in Montevideo versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Montevideo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Montevideo wins on affordability, Lisbon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.