Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Salto, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,330 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Salto

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,330 in Salto, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Salto $1,330

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,949 in Salto, rent included.

Montevideo $2,784
Salto $1,949

A family of three spends $3,797 per month in Montevideo vs $2,568 in Salto, rent included.

Montevideo $3,797
Salto $2,568

Montevideo costs about 33% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montevideo sits 30% above the global median, while Salto is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.63 UYU 628

$15.99 UYU 643

-2.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 UYU 2,811

$37.38 UYU 1,502

87.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.51 UYU 583

$11.77 UYU 473

23.28%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$3.40 UYU 137

30.29%

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

$2.49 UYU 100

$2.17 UYU 87.3

14.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.4

$1.60 UYU 64.5

21.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 UYU 192

$4.54 UYU 182

5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 148

$3.18 UYU 128

15.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 UYU 50.6

$1.45 UYU 58.4

-13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 UYU 120

$2.16 UYU 86.7

37.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$1.52 UYU 61.2

14.47%

Eggs

$4.80 UYU 193

$5.26 UYU 211

-8.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.06 UYU 565

$15.25 UYU 613

-7.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.35 UYU 456

$8.70 UYU 350

30.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$9.75 UYU 392

24.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.27 UYU 51.1

115.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$2.24 UYU 90.2

26.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.4

$1.21 UYU 48.69

34.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 UYU 128

$1.90 UYU 76.5

67.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.1

$0.90 UYU 36.07

124.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.5

$1.67 UYU 67.2

27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 UYU 55.9

$0.87 UYU 35.05

59.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 78.2

$1.54 UYU 62.0

25.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 UYU 215

$5.23 UYU 210

2.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$7.49 UYU 301

10.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 UYU 94.3

$1.85 UYU 74.2

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.70 UYU 108

3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 UYU 62.4

$0.63 UYU 25.51

146.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 UYU 3,011

$30.21 UYU 1,214

148.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 UYU 16.54

$3.76 UYU 151

-89.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.38 UYU 417

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.5

$1.97 UYU 79.2

13.20%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

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

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

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

$184 UYU 7,388

$199 UYU 8,005

-7.71%

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

$20.15 UYU 810

$21.42 UYU 861

-5.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.24 UYU 1,738

$30.02 UYU 1,206

44.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 UYU 1,948

$35.86 UYU 1,441

35.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 UYU 792

$12.59 UYU 506

56.55%

Cinema Ticket

$12.11 UYU 487

$9.97 UYU 401

21.46%

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

$636 UYU 25.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 441.9K

$4,520 UYU 181.7K

143.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 UYU 4,048

$88.1 UYU 3,539

14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 UYU 2,288

$55.4 UYU 2,226

2.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 UYU 4,934

$116 UYU 4,659

5.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,238

$66.9 UYU 2,688

94.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 UYU 30.0K

$442 UYU 17.8K

69.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 UYU 23.3K

$303 UYU 12.2K

91.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$759 UYU 30.5K

69.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 UYU 45.2K

$418 UYU 16.8K

169.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 UYU 146.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 UYU 81.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,284 UYU 51.6K

$628 UYU 25.2K

104.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$581 32.8%

Salto

$303 22.8% 47.8% $277

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$330 18.6%

Salto

$274 20.6% 17.1% $57

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.3%

Salto

$248 18.7% 8.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$247 14%

Salto

$251 18.9% 1.4% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$185 10.4%

Salto

$147 11% 20.6% $38

Getting Around

Montevideo

$85 4.8%

Salto

$52 * 3.9% 39.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$73 4.1%

Salto

$56 4.2% 23.2% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Montevideo versus $442 in Salto. 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 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Montevideo versus $37 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $274 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

Same time as Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

104,028

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Montevideo Salto 420 km

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Montevideo
Salto

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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 33%, 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 $1,994 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $747 in Montevideo.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Salto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Montevideo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,330, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,330 in Salto to $1,771 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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