Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Matagalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Matagalpa: $810 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Matagalpa
Learn more

Matagalpa Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Matagalpa

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Matagalpa

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $810 in Matagalpa, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Matagalpa $810

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,231 in Matagalpa, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Matagalpa $1,231

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,652 in Matagalpa, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Matagalpa $1,652

Montevideo costs about 119% more than Matagalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Matagalpa is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$7.09 NIO 260

113.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$25.36 NIO 929

172.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.83 NIO 287

87.10%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.63 NIO 96.2

69.58%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.85 NIO 31.19

214.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.43 NIO 15.71

365.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.22 NIO 44.61

295.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.22 NIO 81.3

71.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.26 NIO 46.23

7.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.27 NIO 46.35

125.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.81 NIO 66.3

-3.31%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.24 NIO 82.0

108.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$2.68 NIO 98.1

417.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$4.30 NIO 157

178.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$6.69 NIO 245

78.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.97 NIO 145

-29.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.58 NIO 21.15

372.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.76 NIO 64.5

0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.43 NIO 88.9

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.91 NIO 143

-49.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.26 NIO 82.7

-8.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.09 NIO 40.00

25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.01 NIO 36.99

86.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$2.65 NIO 97.1

110.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$10.13 NIO 371

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.21 NIO 44.26

86.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.18 NIO 79.7

26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.20 NIO 7.16

665.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.12 NIO 40.88

70.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.28 NIO 46.87

-68.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.74 NIO 247

53.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.37 NIO 50.1

55.47%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$23.1K NIO 846.8K

17.24%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$26.4K NIO 966.5K

37.42%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$60.5 NIO 2,216

211.29%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$16.76 NIO 614

22.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$32.63 NIO 1,195

37.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$9.16 NIO 335

30.46%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$233 NIO 8,517

172.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$6,180 NIO 226.3K

78.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$59.1 NIO 2,163

72.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$64.8 NIO 2,374

-11.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$122 NIO 4,466

3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$145 NIO 5,308

-11.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$201 NIO 7,358

257.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$173 NIO 6,345

227.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$305 NIO 11.2K

275.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$248 NIO 9,083

312.58%

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

$203 NIO 7,432

513.39%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Matagalpa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Matagalpa

$173 21.4% 69.5% $395

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Matagalpa

$197 24.3% 40.6% $135

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Matagalpa

$127 15.7% 52.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Matagalpa

$110 13.6% 56.7% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Matagalpa

$176 21.7% 5.6% $10

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Matagalpa

$8.3 * 1% 90.2% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Matagalpa

$18 * 2.3% 76.5% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $201 in Matagalpa. 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 513% 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $25.00 in Matagalpa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $197 – making Matagalpa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇳🇮 Matagalpa

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

159,982

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Matagalpa 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Matagalpa

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 Matagalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo, $810 in Matagalpa – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,215 in Matagalpa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $25.00 in Matagalpa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Matagalpa, where all-in costs run around $810, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Matagalpa 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 $810 in Matagalpa to $1,771 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 Matagalpa. 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.