Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Felipe

For one person, living is cheaper in San Felipe: $1,106 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in San Felipe
Learn more

San Felipe Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

San Felipe

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in San Felipe

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,106 in San Felipe, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
San Felipe $1,106

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $1,777 in San Felipe, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
San Felipe $1,777

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $2,448 in San Felipe, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
San Felipe $2,448

Montevideo costs about 61% more than San Felipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 32% above the global median, while San Felipe is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$7.35 MX$136

101.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$43.63 MX$806

59.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$8.27 MX$153

77.51%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$3.49 MX$64.4

33.24%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.35 MX$24.91

102.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.05 MX$19.41

97.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$2.45 MX$45.34

95.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$4.10 MX$75.8

-11.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.64 MX$30.38

-15.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.54 MX$46.89

13.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.72 MX$31.80

-1.16%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$2.53 MX$46.82

82.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$8.42 MX$156

68.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$8.46 MX$156

37.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$11.72 MX$217

4.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.67 MX$49.26

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.53 MX$28.23

86.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$1.89 MX$35.02

-4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$1.83 MX$33.76

74.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$1.99 MX$36.84

-2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$1.87 MX$34.64

15.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.43 MX$26.39

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.08 MX$20.02

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$4.50 MX$83.1

21.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$10.26 MX$190

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.75 MX$32.42

29.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$3.07 MX$56.8

-8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$0.63 MX$11.65

147.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$2.63 MX$48.65

-27.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.93 MX$35.73

-77.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$11.06 MX$204

-4.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.45 MX$26.73

46.21%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$21.4K MX$395.3K

25.24%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$24.5K MX$452.2K

51.16%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$57.9 MX$1,070

232.50%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$23.12 MX$427

-9.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$29.50 MX$545

52.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$33.66 MX$622

50.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

$20.47 MX$378

-3.62%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$5.36 MX$99.0

129.48%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$219 MX$4,051

186.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$4,580 MX$84.6K

137.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$54.2 MX$1,002

91.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$40.18 MX$742

42.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$99.7 MX$1,842

25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$90.0 MX$1,662

47.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$617 MX$11.4K

15.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$389 MX$7,184

48.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,059 MX$19.6K

9.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$757 MX$14.0K

36.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$1,934 MX$35.7K

76.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$1,147 MX$21.2K

53.50%

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 San Felipe: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

San Felipe

$389 35.1% 32.4% $187

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

San Felipe

$265 23.9% 20.7% $69

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

San Felipe

$156 14.1% 42.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

San Felipe

$111 10% 57.2% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

San Felipe

$128 11.6% 32.1% $61

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

San Felipe

$15 * 1.3% 82.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

San Felipe

$44 4% 41.1% $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 $617 in San Felipe. 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 $44.00 in San Felipe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $265 – making San Felipe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 San Felipe

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

28,452

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Felipe 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Felipe

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 Felipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 61%, 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 $1,660 in San Felipe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Felipe, 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 $44.00 in San Felipe. 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Felipe, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In San Felipe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Felipe – 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 Felipe. 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.