Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Francisco

For one person, living is cheaper in San Francisco: $1,672 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
81

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
Learn more

San Francisco Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,672 in San Francisco, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Francisco $1,672

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,668 in San Francisco, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Francisco $2,668

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,664 in San Francisco, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Francisco $3,664

Montevideo costs about 6% more than San Francisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and San Francisco sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, San Francisco by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.08 ₡4,520

50.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$61.8 ₡27.7K

11.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.03 ₡4,947

32.82%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.33 ₡1,941

3.00%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.30 ₡582

105.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.81 ₡810

10.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.35 ₡1,504

44.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.31 ₡1,932

-11.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.32 ₡1,039

-41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.03 ₡1,360

-5.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.44 ₡1,095

-28.28%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.51 ₡1,575

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.83 ₡4,859

28.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.43 ₡4,677

14.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$13.81 ₡6,192

-13.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.00 ₡2,241

-44.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.64 ₡735

67.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.85 ₡2,177

-63.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.96 ₡1,777

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.75 ₡1,683

-47.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.59 ₡1,609

-42.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.08 ₡483

26.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$3.20 ₡1,435

-41.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.80 ₡2,601

-3.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$20.33 ₡9,119

-56.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.81 ₡1,262

-19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.66 ₡1,642

-24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.34 ₡602

14.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$65.2 ₡29.3K

13.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.78 ₡800

7.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.63 ₡732

-75.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.91 ₡3,994

15.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.49 ₡667

42.95%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.0K ₡9.9M

23.34%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$35.0K ₡15.7M

3.52%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$76.3 ₡34.2K

146.79%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$33.48 ₡15.0K

-38.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$48.18 ₡21.6K

-6.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$74.2 ₡33.3K

-27.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.52 ₡3,373

58.91%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$973 ₡436.4K

-34.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

-34.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$71.1 ₡31.9K

43.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$55.2 ₡24.8K

4.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$66.7 ₡29.9K

89.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$53.8 ₡24.1K

137.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$808 ₡362.4K

-11.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$629 ₡282.0K

-9.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,914 ₡858.5K

-40.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,267 ₡568.0K

-19.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$892 ₡400.1K

39.52%

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 San Francisco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Francisco

$629 37.6% 10.7% $61

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Francisco

$401 24% 20.8% $69

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Francisco

$203 12.2% 24.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Francisco

$158 9.5% 37.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Francisco

$111 6.6% 40.4% $75

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Francisco

$81 4.8% 4.5% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Francisco

$89 5.3% 14.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $808 in San Francisco. 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 40% 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 $62.0 in San Francisco. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $401 in San Francisco – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

55,923

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 San Francisco 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Francisco

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 Francisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,508 in San Francisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Francisco, 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 $973 in San Francisco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Francisco, where all-in costs run around $1,672, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Francisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Francisco – 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 Francisco. 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.