Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Ignacio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Ignacio: $983 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

San Ignacio

🇧🇿 Belize

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $983 in San Ignacio, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
San Ignacio $983

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $1,265 in San Ignacio, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
San Ignacio $1,265

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $1,547 in San Ignacio, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
San Ignacio $1,547

Montevideo costs about 85% more than San Ignacio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while San Ignacio is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$15.10 BZD 30.20

1.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$45.81 BZD 91.6

47.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.02 BZD 2.05

167.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.03 BZD 2.06

102.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.93 BZD 5.87

62.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.97 BZD 7.94

-7.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$8.17 BZD 16.35

-83.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$2.49 BZD 4.98

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.88 BZD 9.76

-7.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$15.18 BZD 30.36

-6.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$3.79 BZD 7.59

218.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$4.99 BZD 9.98

-42.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.97 BZD 5.94

9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.54 BZD 3.09

34.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.53 BZD 3.06

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$0.98 BZD 1.96

88.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.51 BZD 3.03

51.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$2.02 BZD 4.04

-24.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$69.3 BZD 139

175.58%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$151 BZD 302

-86.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$592 BZD 1,185

19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$346 BZD 693

66.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$992 BZD 1,984

23.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Ignacio: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

San Ignacio

–

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Ignacio

–

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

San Ignacio

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

San Ignacio

–

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

San Ignacio

–

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

San Ignacio

–

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

San Ignacio

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $592 in San Ignacio. 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 24% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $46.00 in San Ignacio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $257 – making San Ignacio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇧🇿 San Ignacio

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

17,878

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.446 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BZD (1 BZD = 0.446 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Ignacio 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Ignacio

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 Ignacio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,474 in San Ignacio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 29% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo and $46.00 in San Ignacio. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Ignacio, where all-in costs run around $983, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In San Ignacio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Ignacio – 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 Ignacio. 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.