Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Cristobal de las Casas

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $925 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in San Cristobal de las Casas

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 San Cristobal de las Casas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $925 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Cristobal de las Casas $925

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,420 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Cristobal de las Casas $1,420

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,915 in San Cristobal de las Casas, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Cristobal de las Casas $1,915

Montevideo costs about 91% more than San Cristobal de las Casas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while San Cristobal de las Casas is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$5.36 MX$99.0

182.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$27.82 MX$514

148.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$6.07 MX$112

141.35%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.48 MX$45.91

79.84%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.62 MX$29.93

64.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.03 MX$19.08

94.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.80 MX$51.8

72.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.24 MX$59.8

17.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.41 MX$26.10

-3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.58 MX$66.1

-19.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.60 MX$29.62

9.37%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.27 MX$41.91

106.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.69 MX$124

107.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$4.11 MX$76.0

191.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$6.40 MX$118

87.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.29 MX$60.9

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.10 MX$38.81

30.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.21 MX$40.80

-19.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.45 MX$26.74

123.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.61 MX$29.75

22.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.77 MX$32.68

16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.82 MX$33.56

-24.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.61 MX$29.68

16.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$1.88 MX$34.79

197.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$10.57 MX$195

-16.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.40 MX$44.35

-5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.96 MX$36.27

40.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.56 MX$10.41

173.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$27.82 MX$514

166.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.69 MX$49.67

-29.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.79 MX$51.6

-85.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.39 MX$25.66

53.24%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$19.0K MX$351.7K

42.45%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$32.74 MX$605

475.14%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$14.82 MX$274

38.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$20.42 MX$377

119.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$22.92 MX$423

135.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$23.54 MX$435

-16.10%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.73 MX$124

77.56%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$208 MX$3,843

205.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$2,657 MX$49.1K

315.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$19.35 MX$358

427.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$27.33 MX$505

110.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$95.5 MX$1,765

32.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$54.0 MX$999

136.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$434 MX$8,014

65.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$321 MX$5,938

76.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$890 MX$16.4K

28.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$527 MX$9,741

94.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$835 MX$15.4K

306.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$664 MX$12.3K

193.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$403 MX$7,451

208.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

9.8

-41.43%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$321 34.7% 43.4% $247

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$242 26.2% 26.9% $89

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$122 13.2% 54.7% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$68 7.4% 73.2% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.6% 52.6% $98

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$47 5.1% 44.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 3.9% 53.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 209% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $28.00 in San Cristobal de las Casas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $242 – making San Cristobal de las Casas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

183,509

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Cristobal de las Casas 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Cristobal de las Casas

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 San Cristobal de las Casas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 91%, 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 $1,388 in San Cristobal de las Casas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $208 in San Cristobal de las Casas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Cristobal de las Casas, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Cristobal de las Casas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Cristobal de las Casas – 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 San Cristobal de las Casas. 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.