Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Punta Cana

For one person, living is cheaper in Punta Cana: $732 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Punta Cana
Learn more

Punta Cana Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Punta Cana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Punta Cana

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $732 in Punta Cana, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Punta Cana $732

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,677 in Punta Cana, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Punta Cana $1,677

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,622 in Punta Cana, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Punta Cana $2,622

Montevideo costs about 142% more than Punta Cana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Punta Cana is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$8.29 DOP 506

82.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$41.44 DOP 2,531

66.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$6.98 DOP 426

109.89%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.81 DOP 111

146.41%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.71 DOP 43.32

276.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$0.40 DOP 24.70

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.44 DOP 149

97.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.85 DOP 235

-1.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.20 DOP 73.6

13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.80 DOP 110

59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.43 DOP 87.1

22.38%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.44 DOP 87.8

225.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$6.42 DOP 392

116.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$3.49 DOP 213

243.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$4.65 DOP 284

157.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$2.94 DOP 179

-5.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.44 DOP 88.1

90.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$3.36 DOP 205

-47.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.14 DOP 130

51.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$3.49 DOP 213

-43.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$2.91 DOP 178

-28.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$0.87 DOP 53.0

57.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.61 DOP 98.3

16.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.85 DOP 296

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$16.63 DOP 1,016

-47.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.90 DOP 177

-22.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.31 DOP 202

-16.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$1.37 DOP 83.6

11.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.53 DOP 154

-24.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$3.25 DOP 199

-87.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.42 DOP 86.7

50.00%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$14.6K DOP 889.4K

86.14%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

45.09%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$93.1 DOP 5,688

102.17%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$26.76 DOP 1,634

-23.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$38.04 DOP 2,323

17.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$84.2 DOP 5,143

-35.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

$16.14 DOP 985

22.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$5.03 DOP 307

137.57%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$147 DOP 8,983

331.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$5,484 DOP 334.9K

101.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$26.44 DOP 1,615

286.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$45.62 DOP 2,786

26.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$60.3 DOP 3,682

109.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$66.1 DOP 4,035

93.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$950 DOP 58.0K

-24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,606 DOP 159.2K

-56.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$998 DOP 60.9K

2.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$2,908 DOP 177.6K

16.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$1,250 DOP 76.4K

55.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-47.82%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Punta Cana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Punta Cana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Punta Cana

$233 31.8% 29.7% $98

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Punta Cana

$133 18.2% 50.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Punta Cana

$158 21.6% 37.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Punta Cana

$89 12.2% 52.1% $97

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Punta Cana

$24 * 3.3% 71.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Punta Cana

$94 12.9% 21.1% $16

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 $950 in Punta Cana. 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $41.00 in Punta Cana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $233 – making Punta Cana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇴 Punta Cana

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

100,023

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Punta Cana 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Punta Cana

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 Punta Cana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 142%, 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 $1,098 in Punta Cana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Punta Cana, 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 $41.00 in Punta Cana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% 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 Punta Cana, where all-in costs run around $732, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Punta Cana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Punta Cana – 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 Punta Cana. 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.