Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Samara

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,007 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Samara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Samara
Learn more

Samara Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Samara

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $2,007 in Samara, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Samara $2,007

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $3,528 in Samara, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Samara $3,528

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $5,050 in Samara, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Samara $5,050

Montevideo is about 12% cheaper than Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and Samara sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Samara by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.84 ₡4,864

39.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$62.2 ₡27.9K

11.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.71 ₡5,250

25.11%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.38 ₡1,965

1.83%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.72 ₡1,218

-1.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.90 ₡851

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.27 ₡1,464

47.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.56 ₡2,043

-16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.36 ₡1,056

-42.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.14 ₡1,407

-8.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.40 ₡1,075

-27.08%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.47 ₡1,556

34.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.73 ₡4,812

29.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.58 ₡4,746

13.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.85 ₡4,864

10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.02 ₡2,252

-44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.57 ₡705

74.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.80 ₡2,153

-63.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.85 ₡1,728

-15.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.85 ₡1,728

-48.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.61 ₡1,618

-42.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.08 ₡483

26.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$3.22 ₡1,445

-41.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.40 ₡2,423

3.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$19.51 ₡8,752

-55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.80 ₡1,254

-19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.36 ₡1,056

16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.37 ₡613

11.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.40 ₡1,078

-20.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.55 ₡693

-74.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.46 ₡3,793

22.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.49 ₡668

42.95%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.2K ₡10.0M

22.01%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.05%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$93.7 ₡42.0K

100.98%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$36.05 ₡16.2K

-43.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$58.2 ₡26.1K

-22.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$72.9 ₡32.7K

-26.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.53 ₡3,376

58.70%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$497 ₡223.0K

27.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$6,064 ₡2.7M

82.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$65.2 ₡29.2K

56.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$55.5 ₡24.9K

3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$131 ₡58.6K

-3.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$134 ₡60.2K

-4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$1,393 ₡624.9K

-48.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$935 ₡419.2K

-39.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$3,664 ₡1.6M

-68.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$2,613 ₡1.2M

-60.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$5,004 ₡2.2M

-32.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.62

-33.41%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Samara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Samara

$935 46.6% 64.6% $367

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Samara

$389 19.4% 17.2% $57

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Samara

$218 10.9% 18.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Samara

$188 9.4% 25.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Samara

$174 8.7% 6.9% $13

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 81.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Samara

$88 4.4% 13% $10

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 $1,393 in Samara. 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 $62.0 in Samara. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $389 in Samara – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

21:32 9:32 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,071

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Samara 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Samara is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $3,010 in Samara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, 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 $62.0 in Samara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Samara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Samara at $2,007. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Samara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – 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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Samara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.