Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Palma Soriano

For one person, living is cheaper in Palma Soriano: $1,552 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Palma Soriano
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,552
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Palma Soriano

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,552 in Palma Soriano, rent included.

  • Montevideo $1,771
  • Palma Soriano $1,552

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,866 in Palma Soriano, rent included.

  • Montevideo $2,740
  • Palma Soriano $1,866

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,180 in Palma Soriano, rent included.

  • Montevideo $3,708
  • Palma Soriano $2,180

Montevideo costs about 14% more than Palma Soriano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Palma Soriano sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Palma Soriano by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.16 UYU 609
$5.05 CUP 121
200.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$69.2 UYU 2,776
$25.36 CUP 609
172.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.65 UYU 588
$5.15 CUP 124
184.47%
Cappuccino
$4.46 UYU 179
$3.11 CUP 74.6
43.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 UYU 107
$1.29 CUP 30.86
106.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 UYU 80.4
$0.91 CUP 21.94
119.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.83 UYU 194
$3.04 CUP 72.9
58.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 UYU 152
$2.42 CUP 58.0
57.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 UYU 54.8
$1.98 CUP 47.48
-31.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.87 UYU 115
$1.49 CUP 35.65
92.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 UYU 70.2
$0.98 CUP 23.44
78.57%
Eggs
$4.68 UYU 188
$1.17 CUP 28.04
300.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.88 UYU 557
$6.12 CUP 147
126.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.98 UYU 481
$6.09 CUP 146
96.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.97 UYU 480
$11.06 CUP 266
8.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 UYU 111
$1.83 CUP 43.94
51.91%
Banana (1kg)
$2.74 UYU 110
$1.19 CUP 28.45
130.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 UYU 71.2
$1.48 CUP 35.60
19.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 UYU 130
$1.47 CUP 35.35
120.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.97 UYU 79.2
$0.98 CUP 23.44
101.02%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 UYU 83.1
$0.97 CUP 23.33
113.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 UYU 55.1
$1.01 CUP 24.33
35.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.88 UYU 75.3
$1.08 CUP 25.83
74.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.59 UYU 224
$2.95 CUP 70.9
89.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.78 UYU 352
$10.08 CUP 242
-12.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 UYU 90.9
$3.08 CUP 73.9
-26.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 UYU 110
$2.03 CUP 48.75
35.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.53 UYU 61.5
$0.26 CUP 6.26
488.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.3 UYU 2,980
$29.79 CUP 715
149.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.91 UYU 76.7
$1.85 CUP 44.30
3.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 UYU 16.18
$0.36 CUP 8.74
11.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.33 UYU 415
$13.10 CUP 314
-21.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.13 UYU 85.6
$1.18 CUP 28.37
80.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
$66.0K CUP 1.6M
-58.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
$47.3K CUP 1.1M
-23.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 UYU 7,557
$55.4 CUP 1,331
239.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.54 UYU 824
$10.01 CUP 240
105.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.81 UYU 1,798
$150 CUP 3,590
-70.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.0 UYU 2,166
$40.30 CUP 967
33.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.75 UYU 793
$10.06 CUP 242
96.32%
Cinema Ticket
$11.95 UYU 480
$1.03 CUP 24.64
1060.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$634 UYU 25.5K
$100 CUP 2,402
533.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
$12.2K CUP 292.6K
-9.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 UYU 4,099
$63.7 CUP 1,530
60.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.5 UYU 2,309
$35.61 CUP 855
61.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$127 UYU 5,079
$84.1 CUP 2,019
50.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 UYU 5,131
$110 CUP 2,647
15.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$719 UYU 28.8K
$896 CUP 21.5K
-19.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$568 UYU 22.8K
$790 CUP 18.9K
-28.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
$744 CUP 17.9K
53.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
$647 CUP 15.5K
58.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
$323 CUP 7,745
951.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
$326 CUP 7,826
497.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montevideo
Palma Soriano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
$40.28 CUP 967
2990.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.74
8.33
-31.09%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Palma Soriano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
$568
Palma Soriano
$790 39% $222
Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
$332
Palma Soriano
$216 34.8% $115
Eating Out
Montevideo
$269
Palma Soriano
$122 54.7% $147
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
$254
Palma Soriano
$215 15.2% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
$186
Palma Soriano
$132 29.1% $54
Getting Around
Montevideo
$84
Palma Soriano
$35 59.1% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
$78
Palma Soriano
$42 45.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $896 in Palma Soriano. 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 2990% 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 Palma Soriano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $216 – making Palma Soriano the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🇨🇺 Palma Soriano
🕒 Local time
15:25 3:25 PM
14:25 2:25 PM
1 h behind Montevideo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,319,108 Capital
74,930
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montevideo Palma Soriano 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montevideo
  • Palma Soriano

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 Palma Soriano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Palma Soriano cheaper than Montevideo?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,328 in Palma Soriano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Palma Soriano, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $100 in Palma Soriano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Montevideo and in Palma Soriano?
Groceries cost about 53% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Montevideo or in Palma Soriano?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palma Soriano, where all-in costs run around $1,552, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Palma Soriano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Montevideo or Palma Soriano more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Palma Soriano – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Montevideo or Palma Soriano?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Palma Soriano. 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.

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