Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Puerto la Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto la Cruz: $736 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Puerto la Cruz
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Puerto la Cruz Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Puerto la Cruz

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Puerto la Cruz

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 Puerto la Cruz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $736 in Puerto la Cruz, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Puerto la Cruz $736

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,329 in Puerto la Cruz, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Puerto la Cruz $1,329

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $1,921 in Puerto la Cruz, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Puerto la Cruz $1,921

Montevideo costs about 146% more than Puerto la Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Puerto la Cruz is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$9.98 VES 8,726

52.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,710

$60.9 VES 53.2K

10.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$7.64 VES 6,686

88.09%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$3.41 VES 2,980

36.07%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$0.71 VES 619

284.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.49 VES 424

326.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$1.22 VES 1,067

289.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$1.54 VES 1,344

138.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.96 VES 1,718

-29.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.23 VES 1,076

125.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.23 VES 1,080

37.40%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.43 VES 2,126

86.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$7.18 VES 6,280

97.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$8.93 VES 7,807

35.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$11.20 VES 9,799

8.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$7.18 VES 6,277

-60.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.32 VES 1,157

108.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$0.51 VES 450

239.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.26 VES 1,972

43.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.26 VES 1,973

-8.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.13 VES 1,864

-2.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.57 VES 1,373

-12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.63 VES 1,428

13.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$3.88 VES 3,395

43.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$7.85 VES 6,865

13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.01 VES 884

126.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$1.53 VES 1,335

76.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.37 VES 323

310.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,960

$30.35 VES 26.5K

142.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.96 VES 2,591

-38.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.04

$2.82 VES 2,463

-85.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$10.11 VES 8,843

5.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.1

$0.48 VES 418

362.50%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$25.3K VES 22.1M

5.85%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$37.8K VES 33.0M

-2.76%

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

$191 UYU 7,669

$21.60 VES 18.9K

783.52%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$9.80 VES 8,575

108.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,774

$27.11 VES 23.7K

62.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,176

$29.65 VES 25.9K

82.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$25.14 VES 22.0K

-21.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$5.10 VES 4,461

141.76%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$59.4 VES 52.0K

931.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.0K

$2,978 VES 2.6M

270.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,131

$47.31 VES 41.4K

117.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,253

$34.48 VES 30.2K

62.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,997

$45.85 VES 40.1K

171.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,211

$47.92 VES 41.9K

170.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$150 VES 130.8K

371.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$95.1 VES 83.2K

504.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$310 VES 271.1K

267.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$198 VES 173.2K

412.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$745 VES 651.5K

349.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$370 VES 323.7K

424.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$225 VES 196.7K

446.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-61.73%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Puerto la Cruz: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Puerto la Cruz

$95 12.8% 83.5% $480

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Puerto la Cruz

$264 35.6% 20.5% $68

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Puerto la Cruz

$158 21.2% 41.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Puerto la Cruz

$59 7.9% 77.1% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Puerto la Cruz

$79 10.6% 57.5% $107

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Puerto la Cruz

$49 6.6% 41.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Puerto la Cruz

$40 5.4% 49.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $150 in Puerto la Cruz. 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 447% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $61.0 in Puerto la Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $264 – making Puerto la Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇻🇪 Puerto la Cruz

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

22:43 10:43 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

272,231

💱 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 = 1.02 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 40.18 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Puerto la Cruz 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Puerto la Cruz

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 Puerto la Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 146%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,104 in Puerto la Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto la Cruz, 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 $59.4 in Puerto la Cruz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto la Cruz, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Puerto la Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto la Cruz – 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 Puerto la Cruz. 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.