Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,328 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Perez Zeledon $1,328

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $2,371 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Perez Zeledon $2,371

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $3,414 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Perez Zeledon $3,414

Montevideo costs about 34% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 32% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$9.34 ₡4,188

58.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$36.62 ₡16.4K

90.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$8.23 ₡3,689

78.37%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$2.70 ₡1,210

72.22%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.96 ₡880

39.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.71 ₡766

21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$1.79 ₡804

167.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$3.08 ₡1,380

17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.64 ₡735

-15.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$3.03 ₡1,357

-4.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$2.47 ₡1,109

-31.17%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$2.48 ₡1,113

86.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$10.62 ₡4,763

33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$10.36 ₡4,646

12.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$13.82 ₡6,196

-11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$4.99 ₡2,238

-44.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.08 ₡483

163.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$4.85 ₡2,174

-62.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$3.96 ₡1,777

-19.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$3.86 ₡1,730

-49.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$3.78 ₡1,693

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$0.46 ₡205

210.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$3.21 ₡1,441

-39.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$5.76 ₡2,582

-5.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$19.78 ₡8,870

-54.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$2.77 ₡1,240

-18.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$3.50 ₡1,572

-19.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$0.77 ₡344

102.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$2.51 ₡1,125

-24.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.61 ₡720

-73.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$8.81 ₡3,952

20.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.54 ₡689

37.66%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

20.09%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$34.8K ₡15.6M

6.42%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$92.9 ₡41.7K

107.26%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$23.91 ₡10.7K

-12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$58.7 ₡26.3K

-23.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-29.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$7.46 ₡3,346

64.88%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$508 ₡227.7K

23.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-35.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$72.9 ₡32.7K

42.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$56.8 ₡25.5K

1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$129 ₡58.0K

-3.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$130 ₡58.1K

2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$401 ₡180.0K

77.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$333 ₡149.4K

72.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,898 ₡851.1K

-38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$1,258 ₡564.0K

-17.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1% 42.1% $242

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8% 14.6% $49

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2% 39.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2% 32.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2% 7.1% $13

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1% 83.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6% 15.9% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Montevideo versus $401 in Perez Zeledon. 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 $70.0 in Montevideo versus $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $334 in Montevideo vs $382 in Perez Zeledon – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

135,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Perez Zeledon 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Perez Zeledon

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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $1,992 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, 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 $70.0 in Montevideo and $37.00 in Perez Zeledon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perez Zeledon – 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 Perez Zeledon. 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.