Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Salamanca

For one person, living is cheaper in Salamanca: $1,129 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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 Salamanca
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Salamanca Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Salamanca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Salamanca

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,129 in Salamanca, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Salamanca $1,129

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $1,817 in Salamanca, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Salamanca $1,817

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $2,505 in Salamanca, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Salamanca $2,505

Montevideo costs about 58% more than Salamanca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 32% above the global median, while Salamanca is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$10.91 MX$202

35.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$43.23 MX$799

61.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$8.45 MX$156

73.73%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$3.50 MX$64.7

32.86%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.39 MX$25.70

97.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.05 MX$19.49

97.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$2.44 MX$45.16

96.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$3.99 MX$73.7

-9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.58 MX$29.14

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.57 MX$47.44

12.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.73 MX$31.94

-1.73%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$2.50 MX$46.17

84.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$8.25 MX$152

72.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$8.36 MX$155

39.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$11.63 MX$215

5.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.76 MX$51.0

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.52 MX$28.18

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$1.95 MX$36.05

-7.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$1.77 MX$32.67

80.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$1.94 MX$35.89

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$1.89 MX$34.84

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.41 MX$26.08

1.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.08 MX$19.98

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$4.28 MX$79.0

27.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$10.50 MX$194

-14.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.83 MX$33.83

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$3.16 MX$58.4

-11.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$0.64 MX$11.77

143.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$2.64 MX$48.77

-28.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.94 MX$35.86

-77.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$10.84 MX$200

-2.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.50 MX$27.66

41.33%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$21.6K MX$399.3K

23.99%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$24.4K MX$450.4K

51.78%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$57.5 MX$1,062

234.99%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$23.04 MX$426

-9.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$29.82 MX$551

50.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$33.77 MX$624

50.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

$20.34 MX$376

-3.00%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$5.35 MX$98.8

129.91%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$221 MX$4,089

184.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$4,578 MX$84.6K

137.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$54.9 MX$1,014

89.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$40.23 MX$743

42.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$99.0 MX$1,830

26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$90.3 MX$1,668

46.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$604 MX$11.2K

17.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$383 MX$7,073

50.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,057 MX$19.5K

10.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$752 MX$13.9K

37.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$1,948 MX$36.0K

75.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$1,141 MX$21.1K

54.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Salamanca: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Salamanca

$383 33.9% 33.5% $193

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Salamanca

$264 23.4% 20.8% $70

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Salamanca

$185 16.4% 31.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Salamanca

$110 9.8% 57.3% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Salamanca

$128 11.3% 32% $60

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Salamanca

$15 * 1.3% 82.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Salamanca

$44 3.9% 41% $31

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 $604 in Salamanca. 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 $43.00 in Salamanca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $264 – making Salamanca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Salamanca

🕒 Local time

10:54 10:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

160,682

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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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Between locations

Montevideo Salamanca 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Salamanca

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 Salamanca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 58%, 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 $1,694 in Salamanca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salamanca, 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 $43.00 in Salamanca. 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Salamanca, where all-in costs run around $1,129, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Salamanca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salamanca – 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 Salamanca. 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.