Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Mercedes

For one person, living is cheaper in Mercedes: $1,290 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Mercedes
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Mercedes Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Mercedes

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Mercedes

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,290 in Mercedes, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Mercedes $1,290

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,960 in Mercedes, rent included.

Montevideo $2,784
Mercedes $1,960

A family of three spends $3,797 per month in Montevideo vs $2,631 in Mercedes, rent included.

Montevideo $3,797
Mercedes $2,631

Montevideo costs about 37% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montevideo sits 30% above the global median, while Mercedes is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 629

$15.66 UYU 630

-0.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,812

$62.9 UYU 2,528

11.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 584

$14.04 UYU 565

3.35%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$2.50 UYU 100

77.20%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.5

$0.88 UYU 35.50

121.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$2.42 UYU 97.2

97.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$3.78 UYU 152

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.32 UYU 53.0

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$2.90 UYU 117

2.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.1

$1.43 UYU 57.4

21.68%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$2.69 UYU 108

78.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$14.15 UYU 569

-0.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 457

$11.47 UYU 461

-1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$7.57 UYU 304

60.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.94 UYU 77.8

41.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$2.51 UYU 101

12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$1.09 UYU 43.97

49.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$2.93 UYU 118

8.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$1.96 UYU 78.8

3.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$2.17 UYU 87.1

-1.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 56.0

$1.39 UYU 55.7

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$1.74 UYU 70.2

11.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$5.10 UYU 205

4.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$8.23 UYU 331

0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$2.32 UYU 93.1

1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.79 UYU 112

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,013

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$1.90 UYU 76.2

0.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.55

$0.42 UYU 16.74

-2.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$10.56 UYU 425

-1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-1.33%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

0.57%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$36.1K UYU 1.5M

-0.66%

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

$184 UYU 7,392

$186 UYU 7,498

-1.42%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$20.64 UYU 830

-2.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,739

$43.41 UYU 1,746

-0.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,949

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$632 UYU 25.4K

0.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

$11.2K UYU 448.5K

-1.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,050

$100 UYU 4,028

0.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,289

$56.4 UYU 2,267

0.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,937

$121 UYU 4,859

1.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,241

$130 UYU 5,234

0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$569 UYU 22.9K

31.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$302 UYU 12.1K

92.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$627 UYU 25.2K

104.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$441 UYU 17.7K

155.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

$3,041 UYU 122.3K

20.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

$2,016 UYU 81.1K

0.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mercedes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Mercedes

$302 23.4% 48% $279

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Mercedes

$295 22.9% 10.6% $35

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Mercedes

$230 17.9% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Mercedes

$251 19.4% 1.3% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Mercedes

$183 14.2% 0.8% $1.5

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Mercedes

$4 * 0.3% 95.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Mercedes

$24 * 1.9% 66.7% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Montevideo versus $569 in Mercedes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo versus $63 in Mercedes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $295 – making Mercedes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇾 Mercedes

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

Same time as Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

41,975

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Montevideo Mercedes 250 km

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Montevideo
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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 Mercedes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 37% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Montevideo and $1,935 in Mercedes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mercedes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $747 in Montevideo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo and $63 in Mercedes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,771 in Montevideo and $1,290 in Mercedes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,290 in Mercedes 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.