Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Managua

For one person, living is cheaper in Managua: $1,050 a month against $1,813 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Managua
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Managua Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Managua

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Managua

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,050 in Managua, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Managua $1,050

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,629 in Managua, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Managua $1,629

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $2,207 in Managua, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Managua $2,207

Montevideo costs about 73% more than Managua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Managua is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$9.83 NIO 360

55.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$35.30 NIO 1,293

91.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$7.46 NIO 273

92.63%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$2.57 NIO 94.0

80.54%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$0.91 NIO 33.42

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.74 NIO 27.28

182.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.47 NIO 54.0

223.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$2.18 NIO 80.0

68.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.26 NIO 46.01

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.44 NIO 89.4

13.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.89 NIO 69.2

-10.58%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.32 NIO 84.8

94.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$11.46 NIO 420

23.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.16 NIO 226

95.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$7.81 NIO 286

55.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.90 NIO 143

-26.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$0.58 NIO 21.38

374.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$1.76 NIO 64.4

-1.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.42 NIO 88.5

33.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.85 NIO 141

-46.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.19 NIO 80.1

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.10 NIO 40.26

25.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$1.02 NIO 37.22

81.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$2.80 NIO 102

98.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$14.39 NIO 527

-38.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.42 NIO 52.0

61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.20 NIO 80.7

22.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.12 NIO 4.42

1166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$5.88 NIO 216

1152.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$1.64 NIO 60.2

10.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.64 NIO 60.2

-75.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$6.64 NIO 243

60.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.38 NIO 50.5

60.87%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$22.9K NIO 838.8K

16.77%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$25.9K NIO 947.8K

41.98%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$152 NIO 5,561

25.68%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$19.55 NIO 716

4.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$32.50 NIO 1,190

35.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$34.76 NIO 1,273

55.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$15.13 NIO 554

30.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$9.11 NIO 333

35.35%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$231 NIO 8,466

165.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$6,110 NIO 223.8K

80.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$59.0 NIO 2,161

74.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$64.8 NIO 2,373

-13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$121 NIO 4,415

3.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$148 NIO 5,406

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$252 NIO 9,231

179.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$182 NIO 6,656

216.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$451 NIO 16.5K

152.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$381 NIO 14.0K

166.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$1,199 NIO 43.9K

179.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$686 NIO 25.1K

183.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$417 NIO 15.3K

194.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.92

-51.85%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Managua: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Managua

$182 17.5% 68.4% $394

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Managua

$257 24.8% 22.6% $75

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Managua

$150 14.5% 44.6% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Managua

$204 19.6% 20.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Managua

$176 17% 5.1% $9.4

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Managua

$16 1.6% 80.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Managua

$53 5.1% 32.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $252 in Managua. 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 195% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $35.00 in Managua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $257 – making Managua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇳🇮 Managua

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

21:39 9:39 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,039,290 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.08 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Managua 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Managua

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 Managua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo, $1,050 in Managua – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,575 in Managua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1153% less in Managua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $231 in Managua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Managua, where all-in costs run around $1,050, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Managua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,050 in Managua to $1,813 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Managua. 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.