Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Lucea

For one person, living is cheaper in Lucea: $1,002 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Lucea
Learn more

Lucea Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Lucea

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Lucea

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,002 in Lucea, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Lucea $1,002

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,661 in Lucea, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Lucea $1,661

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,320 in Lucea, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Lucea $2,320

Montevideo costs about 77% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Lucea is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$13.45 JMD 2,126

12.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$75.5 JMD 11.9K

-8.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.98 JMD 1,261

83.58%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$5.38 JMD 850

-17.10%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.19 JMD 188

124.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.72 JMD 114

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.24 JMD 354

115.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.08 JMD 486

23.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$4.18 JMD 661

-67.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.83 JMD 605

-25.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.63 JMD 258

7.36%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.56 JMD 563

31.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$11.47 JMD 1,811

21.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.22 JMD 983

92.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.42 JMD 1,646

14.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$6.11 JMD 965

-54.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$3.81 JMD 602

-28.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$7.16 JMD 1,132

-75.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.99 JMD 472

8.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.17 JMD 501

-37.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.67 JMD 422

-22.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$2.96 JMD 467

-53.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.51 JMD 238

24.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$9.35 JMD 1,477

-40.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.36 JMD 1,795

-22.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.81 JMD 443

-19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$4.03 JMD 637

-31.76%

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

$1.21 JMD 192

57.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.19 JMD 505

-87.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.19 JMD 978

66.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.41 JMD 223

51.06%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-38.55%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

12.65%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$165 JMD 26.0K

14.29%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$29.78 JMD 4,704

-31.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$53.5 JMD 8,451

-16.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$13.42 JMD 2,121

-10.95%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$355 JMD 56.1K

78.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$8,075 JMD 1.3M

36.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$23.09 JMD 3,648

342.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$31.58 JMD 4,989

82.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$78.2 JMD 12.3K

61.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$101 JMD 15.9K

27.17%

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

9.45

-39.26%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lucea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Lucea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Lucea

$384 38.3% 15.9% $53

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Lucea

$221 22.1% 17.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Lucea

$248 24.7% 2.2% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Lucea

$105 10.5% 43.6% $81

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Lucea

$17 * 1.7% 79.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Lucea

$27 * 2.7% 65.5% $51

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 $75.0 in Lucea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $384 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇯🇲 Lucea

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

7,377

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Lucea 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Lucea

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 Lucea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 77% more than Lucea, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,504 in Lucea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $75.0 in Lucea. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lucea, where all-in costs run around $1,002, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Lucea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lucea costs $1,002 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 Lucea. 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.