Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Merida

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Merida

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $814 in Merida, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Merida $814

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,418 in Merida, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Merida $1,418

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,021 in Merida, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Merida $2,021

Montevideo costs about 118% more than Merida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$11.90 VES 10.4K

27.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$60.9 VES 53.4K

13.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$10.82 VES 9,500

35.40%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.54 VES 2,226

75.59%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.13 VES 1,867

25.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.36 VES 1,195

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.97 VES 1,727

145.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.01 VES 2,644

26.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.04 VES 1,788

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.32 VES 2,913

-13.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.00 VES 1,759

-12.50%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.51 VES 2,201

86.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.79 VES 5,965

104.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$7.87 VES 6,912

52.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$7.31 VES 6,421

63.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.11 VES 4,488

-45.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.44 VES 1,267

90.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.76 VES 2,426

-35.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.36 VES 2,070

37.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.98 VES 1,735

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.36 VES 1,194

52.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.49 VES 1,307

-8.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$2.53 VES 2,217

-25.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.71 VES 3,258

50.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.18 VES 9,812

-21.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.40 VES 1,233

61.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.21 VES 1,944

24.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.29 VES 253

427.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$3.95 VES 3,469

-51.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.48 VES 1,300

-72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$5.86 VES 5,144

76.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.72 VES 629

195.83%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$45.7K VES 40.1M

-40.71%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$50.5K VES 44.3M

-28.18%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$12.37 VES 10.9K

1422.23%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$10.13 VES 8,894

102.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$29.49 VES 25.9K

51.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$29.41 VES 25.8K

83.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$14.79 VES 13.0K

33.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.93 VES 4,325

142.39%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$88.5 VES 77.7K

616.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$2,399 VES 2.1M

360.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$72.6 VES 63.7K

40.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$42.37 VES 37.2K

35.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$97.4 VES 85.5K

30.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$98.3 VES 86.3K

30.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$132 VES 116.2K

443.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$93.6 VES 82.1K

506.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$224 VES 196.9K

410.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$193 VES 169.8K

428.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,184 VES 1.0M

186.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,211 VES 1.1M

60.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$290 VES 254.9K

328.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-77.04%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Merida: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Merida

$94 11.5% 83.5% $474

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Merida

$289 35.5% 12.8% $43

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Merida

$188 23.1% 30.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Merida

$52 6.4% 79.5% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Merida

$140 17.2% 25% $47

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Merida

$13 * 1.5% 85.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Merida

$39 4.8% 49.6% $39

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 $132 in Merida. 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 329% 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 $61.0 in Merida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $289 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇪 Merida

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

22:50 10:50 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

250,303

💱 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 = 1.01 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Merida 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Merida

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 Merida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 118% more than Merida, 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 $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,221 in Merida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $814 in Merida. That's a gap of about 118%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $88.5 in Merida. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $814, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Merida costs $814 versus $1,771 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 Merida. 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.