Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Nosara: $1,813 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Nosara

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Nosara $3,712

Montevideo is about 1% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Nosara sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$12.22 ₡5,509

24.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$60.2 ₡27.1K

12.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$7.54 ₡3,399

90.58%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$4.31 ₡1,941

7.66%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.72 ₡773

58.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$1.35 ₡608

54.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.24 ₡1,459

46.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.48 ₡2,018

-18.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.57 ₡707

-12.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$3.17 ₡1,429

-12.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$2.42 ₡1,091

-30.17%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.57 ₡1,609

26.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$7.43 ₡3,349

90.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$10.42 ₡4,697

15.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$13.66 ₡6,156

-10.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.32 ₡1,044

23.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.61 ₡728

70.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$4.74 ₡2,138

-63.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.66 ₡747

95.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.72 ₡1,679

-44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.10 ₡497

25.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$2.55 ₡1,149

-27.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.95 ₡2,232

12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$20.01 ₡9,020

-55.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$2.79 ₡1,256

-17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$3.53 ₡1,589

-23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$1.19 ₡537

27.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$72.1 ₡32.5K

2.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.24 ₡1,011

-18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.55 ₡701

-74.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$8.86 ₡3,993

20.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.57 ₡708

41.40%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

22.67%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

6.08%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$93.5 ₡42.1K

104.22%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-41.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-14.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-24.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-44.47%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$7.84 ₡3,535

57.27%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$490 ₡220.7K

25.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-6.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$53.5 ₡24.1K

92.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$55.8 ₡25.1K

0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$79.3 ₡35.7K

56.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$78.9 ₡35.6K

64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$786 ₡354.3K

-10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$780 ₡351.6K

-26.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-70.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-27.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-51.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

61.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$876 ₡395.0K

40.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.62

-33.41%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 35.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 5.2% $17

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 22.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 29.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 35.2% $65

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.9% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.5% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $786 in Nosara. 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 40% higher in Montevideo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $350 in Nosara – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Nosara 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.