Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Maracaibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracaibo: $781 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Maracaibo
Learn more

Maracaibo Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Maracaibo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Maracaibo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $781 in Maracaibo.

Montevideo $1,813
Maracaibo $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,316 in Maracaibo.

Montevideo $2,782
Maracaibo $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $1,851 in Maracaibo.

Montevideo $3,750
Maracaibo $1,851

Living in Montevideo is roughly 132% more expensive than in Maracaibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Maracaibo is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$10.69 VES 9,348

42.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$40.44 VES 35.4K

66.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$9.05 VES 7,917

58.78%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.68 VES 2,340

73.13%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.15 VES 1,009

137.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.36 VES 1,188

53.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.30 VES 2,012

106.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$2.96 VES 2,592

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.95 VES 1,704

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.20 VES 1,927

25.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.09 VES 950

55.05%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.60 VES 3,148

25.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$6.59 VES 5,765

115.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.21 VES 5,434

94.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$7.30 VES 6,387

66.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$4.64 VES 4,060

-38.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.40 VES 1,223

96.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$1.62 VES 1,413

6.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.41 VES 1,237

129.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.18 VES 1,036

75.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.78 VES 1,555

16.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.02 VES 891

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.01 VES 1,762

-7.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$2.94 VES 2,574

89.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$8.87 VES 7,759

0.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.08 VES 946

112.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$2.72 VES 2,379

-0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.46 VES 403

230.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$41.91 VES 36.7K

75.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$3.95 VES 3,452

-53.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$2.04 VES 1,787

-80.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$17.18 VES 15.0K

-37.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$0.74 VES 650

200.00%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$14.7K VES 12.9M

81.82%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$27.9K VES 24.4M

31.80%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$63.5 VES 55.5K

200.58%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$7.43 VES 6,497

174.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$24.55 VES 21.5K

79.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$33.32 VES 29.1K

62.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$28.43 VES 24.9K

-30.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$5.10 VES 4,461

141.76%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$153 VES 133.7K

300.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$7,068 VES 6.2M

56.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$27.67 VES 24.2K

271.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$32.70 VES 28.6K

71.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$61.6 VES 53.9K

101.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$58.1 VES 50.8K

123.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$161 VES 140.5K

338.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$91.8 VES 80.3K

526.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$305 VES 266.7K

273.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$198 VES 173.3K

412.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$751 VES 656.9K

345.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$508 VES 444.1K

282.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$214 VES 187.2K

474.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-71.30%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maracaibo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Maracaibo

$92 11.7% 84% $484

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Maracaibo

$242 30.9% 27.2% $90

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Maracaibo

$172 22% 36.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Maracaibo

$95 12.2% 62.6% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Maracaibo

$81 10.3% 56.4% $105

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Maracaibo

$58 7.4% 30.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Maracaibo

$44 5.6% 44.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Montevideo and $161 in Maracaibo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 474% 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: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $40.00 in Maracaibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $242 per month, with Maracaibo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇪 Maracaibo

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

02:20 2:20 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 981 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Maracaibo 5,320 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Maracaibo

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 Maracaibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maracaibo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 474% 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: $705 in Montevideo versus $161 in Maracaibo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $613 in Montevideo versus $153 in Maracaibo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $781 in Maracaibo versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maracaibo but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Maracaibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maracaibo 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 Maracaibo 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 Maracaibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.