Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Piedras Negras

For one person, living is cheaper in Piedras Negras: $1,137 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Piedras Negras
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Piedras Negras Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Piedras Negras

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,137

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Piedras Negras

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,137 in Piedras Negras, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Piedras Negras $1,137

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,838 in Piedras Negras, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Piedras Negras $1,838

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,539 in Piedras Negras, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Piedras Negras $2,539

Montevideo costs about 56% more than Piedras Negras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Piedras Negras is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$11.12 MX$205

36.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$44.57 MX$824

55.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.45 MX$156

73.37%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.63 MX$67.1

22.87%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.42 MX$26.26

88.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.00 MX$18.50

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.53 MX$46.72

90.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.05 MX$74.9

-6.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.66 MX$30.69

-18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.53 MX$46.83

13.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.71 MX$31.52

2.34%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.45 MX$45.35

91.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.36 MX$155

66.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$8.11 MX$150

47.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.28 MX$209

6.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.76 MX$51.1

0.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.59 MX$29.34

72.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.88 MX$34.68

-5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.82 MX$33.67

78.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.99 MX$36.84

-1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.80 MX$33.24

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.48 MX$27.36

-7.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.08 MX$19.96

74.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.50 MX$83.1

24.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$10.60 MX$196

-17.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.81 MX$33.37

24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.12 MX$57.7

-11.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.68 MX$12.55

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.66 MX$49.22

-28.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.25 MX$41.56

-82.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$11.14 MX$206

-7.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.33 MX$24.65

60.15%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.8K MX$385.2K

30.06%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$24.0K MX$443.9K

50.95%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$49.75 MX$919

278.49%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$22.89 MX$423

-10.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$29.83 MX$551

50.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$34.41 MX$636

56.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$20.06 MX$371

-1.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.31 MX$98.0

125.05%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$221 MX$4,089

186.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$4,069 MX$75.2K

171.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$55.1 MX$1,018

85.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$40.69 MX$752

41.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$100 MX$1,854

26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$90.7 MX$1,675

41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$596 MX$11.0K

20.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$393 MX$7,263

44.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,039 MX$19.2K

10.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$776 MX$14.3K

31.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,876 MX$34.7K

80.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,173 MX$21.7K

66.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$1,618 MX$29.9K

-23.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Piedras Negras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Piedras Negras

$393 34.6% 30.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Piedras Negras

$263 23.1% 20.7% $69

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Piedras Negras

$188 16.6% 30.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Piedras Negras

$102 9% 59.6% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Piedras Negras

$129 11.3% 30.7% $57

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Piedras Negras

$17 * 1.5% 80.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Piedras Negras

$45 4% 42.2% $33

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 $596 in Piedras Negras. 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 30% higher in Piedras Negras, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $45.00 in Piedras Negras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $263 – making Piedras Negras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Piedras Negras

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

23:36 11:36 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

173,959

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Piedras Negras 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Piedras Negras

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 Piedras Negras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,706 in Piedras Negras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piedras Negras, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo and $45.00 in Piedras Negras. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Piedras Negras, where all-in costs run around $1,137, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Piedras Negras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Piedras Negras – 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 Piedras Negras. 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.