Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Luquillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Luquillo: $1,260 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
Learn more

Luquillo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Luquillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,260 in Luquillo.

Montevideo $1,771
Luquillo $1,260

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,013 in Luquillo.

Montevideo $2,740
Luquillo $2,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,766 in Luquillo.

Montevideo $3,708
Luquillo $2,766

Living in Montevideo is roughly 41% more expensive than in Luquillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Luquillo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$19.51 $19.51

-22.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$80.9 $80.9

-14.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.07 $9.07

61.52%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.56 $3.56

25.28%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.60 $1.60

66.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.46 $1.46

36.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.06 $3.06

57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.28 $2.28

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.23 $2.23

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.54 $3.54

-18.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.32 $2.32

-24.57%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$7.61 $7.61

-38.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$12.44 $12.44

11.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.60 $9.60

24.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$13.39 $13.39

-10.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.94 $4.94

-43.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.53 $2.53

8.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.73 $4.73

-62.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.92 $4.92

-34.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.74 $3.74

-47.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$4.00 $4.00

-48.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$3.42 $3.42

-59.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.66 $1.66

13.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$11.86 $11.86

-52.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$12.10 $12.10

-27.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$3.04 $3.04

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.94 $3.94

-30.20%

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

$2.54 $2.54

-24.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.54 $1.54

-74.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$41.93 $41.93

-75.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.85 $0.85

150.59%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$39.8K $39.8K

-31.87%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$27.7K $27.7K

30.75%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$274 $274

-31.17%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$69.4 $69.4

-70.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$69.2 $69.2

-35.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$10.51 $10.51

13.70%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$825 $825

-23.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$12.4K $12.4K

-11.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$55.8 $55.8

83.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$61.5 $61.5

-6.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$108 $108

17.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$112 $112

14.47%

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

$4,190 $4,190

-70.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.55

-12.37%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Luquillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Luquillo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Luquillo

$406 32.3% 22.6% $75

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Luquillo

$258 20.5% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Luquillo

$412 32.7% 62.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Luquillo

$152 12% 18.6% $35

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Luquillo

$10 * 0.8% 87.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7% 73% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays 237% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $81.0 in Luquillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $406 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

20,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Luquillo 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Luquillo

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 Luquillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luquillo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 237% lower in Luquillo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Montevideo pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,260 in Luquillo – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,260 in Luquillo versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Luquillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Luquillo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Luquillo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Luquillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.