Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Rio Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $847 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
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Rio Branco Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Rio Branco

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 Rio Branco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $847 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Rio Branco $847

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,331 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Montevideo $2,784
Rio Branco $1,331

A family of three spends $3,797 per month in Montevideo vs $1,815 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Montevideo $3,797
Rio Branco $1,815

Montevideo costs about 109% more than Rio Branco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montevideo sits 30% above the global median, while Rio Branco is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 629

$6.68 R$35.74

133.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,812

$24.63 R$132

183.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 584

$7.16 R$38.29

102.65%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$2.82 R$15.10

57.09%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$1.28 R$6.86

94.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.5

$0.72 R$3.83

170.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$1.90 R$10.18

151.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$2.75 R$14.71

33.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$0.99 R$5.28

27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$1.54 R$8.24

93.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.1

$1.16 R$6.20

50.00%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$1.99 R$10.64

141.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$8.67 R$46.34

62.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 457

$4.08 R$21.81

178.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$7.89 R$42.17

54.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.06 R$11.01

33.01%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$1.23 R$6.58

130.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$1.09 R$5.84

49.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$1.46 R$7.78

117.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$1.13 R$6.05

78.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$1.01 R$5.39

110.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 56.0

$0.77 R$4.11

80.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$0.76 R$4.06

155.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$2.28 R$12.20

134.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$7.30 R$39.02

13.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$1.04 R$5.54

125.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$1.92 R$10.25

45.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$0.63 R$3.36

146.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,013

$42.25 R$226

77.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$1.24 R$6.62

54.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.55

$0.85 R$4.53

-51.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

$7.55 R$40.34

37.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$1.28 R$6.86

74.22%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

$22.0K R$117.8K

20.48%

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

$31.5K R$168.4K

13.83%

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

$184 UYU 7,392

$72.1 R$385

155.02%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$11.32 R$60.6

78.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,739

$19.70 R$105

119.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,949

$24.58 R$131

97.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$25.43 R$136

-22.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$6.60 R$35.29

83.48%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

$264 R$1,410

141.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 442.1K

$6,146 R$32.9K

78.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,050

$51.0 R$273

97.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,289

$46.00 R$246

23.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,937

$85.0 R$454

44.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,241

$66.8 R$357

95.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$343 R$1,831

118.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$233 R$1,248

148.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$623 R$3,332

106.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$453 R$2,420

148.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.9K

$1,562 R$8,351

133.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.6K

$1,550 R$8,288

30.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$238 R$1,271

440.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

-48.64%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rio Branco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Rio Branco

$233 27.6% 59.8% $347

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Rio Branco

$178 21.1% 46% $152

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Rio Branco

$132 15.6% 51.3% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Rio Branco

$103 12.2% 58.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Rio Branco

$112 13.2% 39.4% $73

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Rio Branco

$50 5.9% 41% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Rio Branco

$38 4.5% 48% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Montevideo versus $343 in Rio Branco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Montevideo are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo versus $25 in Rio Branco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $178 – making Rio Branco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

364,756

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.77 UYU (100 UYU = 2.23 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Rio Branco 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Rio Branco

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 Rio Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,657 per month in Montevideo and $1,270 in Rio Branco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio Branco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $747 in Montevideo.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Montevideo and $264 in Rio Branco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Montevideo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio Branco, where all-in costs run around $847, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Rio Branco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio Branco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Rio Branco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.