Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Maracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracay: $729 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Maracay
Learn more

Maracay Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Maracay

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Maracay

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $729 in Maracay, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Maracay $729

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,242 in Maracay, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Maracay $1,242

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $1,755 in Maracay, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Maracay $1,755

Montevideo costs about 149% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Maracay is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$4.85 VES 4,245

214.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,710

$33.14 VES 29.0K

103.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$7.63 VES 6,669

88.34%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$1.68 VES 1,472

176.19%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.17 VES 1,023

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$1.20 VES 1,054

74.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.23 VES 1,075

286.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.02 VES 2,641

21.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.68 VES 2,346

-48.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.29 VES 2,006

20.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.03 VES 900

64.08%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.62 VES 2,294

72.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$6.53 VES 5,709

117.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$5.74 VES 5,016

110.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$8.54 VES 7,467

42.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$4.28 VES 3,739

-32.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.97 VES 1,722

39.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.22 VES 1,937

-22.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.37 VES 2,069

36.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.32 VES 2,027

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.20 VES 1,921

-5.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.58 VES 1,386

-12.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.30 VES 2,013

-19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$2.48 VES 2,173

124.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$10.15 VES 8,877

-12.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.16 VES 1,018

97.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$1.70 VES 1,487

58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.48 VES 419

216.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,960

$19.78 VES 17.3K

272.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.94 VES 2,575

-38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.04

$2.71 VES 2,368

-85.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$10.01 VES 8,759

6.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.1

$0.69 VES 603

221.74%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$25.2K VES 22.0M

6.24%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$38.5K VES 33.7M

-4.66%

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

$191 UYU 7,669

$12.43 VES 10.9K

1435.32%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$11.57 VES 10.1K

76.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,774

$38.31 VES 33.5K

15.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,176

$29.71 VES 26.0K

82.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$14.89 VES 13.0K

32.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$4.08 VES 3,569

202.21%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$74.6 VES 65.2K

721.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.0K

$5,979 VES 5.2M

84.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,131

$52.4 VES 45.8K

96.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,253

$37.16 VES 32.5K

50.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,997

$83.0 VES 72.6K

49.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,211

$93.6 VES 81.8K

38.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$228 VES 199.5K

209.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$108 VES 94.7K

431.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$569 VES 497.5K

100.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$278 VES 243.0K

265.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$448 VES 391.8K

647.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$198 VES 172.8K

882.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$210 VES 183.3K

486.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

21.5

-73.30%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maracay: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Maracay

$108 14.7% 81.2% $467

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Maracay

$267 36.2% 19.7% $65

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Maracay

$104 14.1% 61.8% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Maracay

$62 8.5% 75.6% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Maracay

$120 16.3% 35.5% $66

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Maracay

$38 5.2% 54.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Maracay

$38 5.1% 51.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $228 in Maracay. 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 487% 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 $33.00 in Maracay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $267 – making Maracay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇪 Maracay

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

425,606

💱 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 40.18 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Maracay 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Maracay

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 Maracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 149% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,093 in Maracay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 25% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo and $33.00 in Maracay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Maracay, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Maracay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Maracay costs $729 versus $1,813 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 Maracay. 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.