Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Manzanillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,230 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Manzanillo
Learn more

Manzanillo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Manzanillo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Manzanillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,230 in Manzanillo.

Montevideo $1,771
Manzanillo $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,152 in Manzanillo.

Montevideo $2,740
Manzanillo $2,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $3,075 in Manzanillo.

Montevideo $3,708
Manzanillo $3,075

Living in Montevideo is roughly 44% more expensive than in Manzanillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Manzanillo is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$11.10 MX$205

36.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$32.44 MX$599

113.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$10.83 MX$200

35.27%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.58 MX$66.2

24.58%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.17 MX$21.59

128.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.17 MX$21.54

70.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.16 MX$40.00

123.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.39 MX$81.1

-13.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.48 MX$27.40

-8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.60 MX$47.96

10.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.20 MX$22.26

45.83%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.09 MX$38.64

123.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.28 MX$153

67.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.41 MX$100

121.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$9.93 MX$184

20.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.93 MX$54.2

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.42 MX$26.31

92.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.78 MX$32.89

-0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.52 MX$28.14

113.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.23 MX$41.12

-11.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.69 MX$31.24

22.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.87 MX$34.57

-26.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.20 MX$22.10

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.44 MX$100

2.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$6.62 MX$122

32.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.83 MX$33.77

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.52 MX$46.60

9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.75 MX$13.90

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.41 MX$44.55

-20.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.43 MX$44.84

-83.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.40 MX$174

9.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.36 MX$25.17

56.62%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.9K MX$386.6K

29.56%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.4K MX$450.4K

48.77%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$65.5 MX$1,211

187.39%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$19.83 MX$367

3.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$29.37 MX$543

52.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$65.3 MX$1,206

-17.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$33.01 MX$610

-40.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.46 MX$82.4

167.94%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$163 MX$3,016

288.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$7,172 MX$132.5K

54.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$43.02 MX$795

137.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$24.85 MX$459

131.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$75.6 MX$1,397

67.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$120 MX$2,213

6.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$684 MX$12.6K

5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$479 MX$8,845

18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,519 MX$28.1K

-24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,373 MX$25.4K

-25.49%

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

$409 MX$7,563

204.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Manzanillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Manzanillo

$479 38.9% 15.7% $89

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Manzanillo

$233 18.9% 29.8% $99

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Manzanillo

$193 15.7% 28.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Manzanillo

$115 9.3% 54.8% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Manzanillo

$118 9.6% 36.4% $68

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Manzanillo

$18 * 1.4% 79.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Manzanillo

$74 6% 4.7% $3.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $684 in Manzanillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 204% 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: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $32.00 in Manzanillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $233 per month, with Manzanillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Manzanillo

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

159,853

💱 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 Manzanillo 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Manzanillo

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 Manzanillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Manzanillo differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $1,230 including rent). Manzanillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 204% higher in Montevideo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $719 in Montevideo versus $684 in Manzanillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,230 in Manzanillo – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manzanillo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Manzanillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Manzanillo 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 Manzanillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.