Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Jose de Ocoa

For one person, living is cheaper in San Jose de Ocoa: $643 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in San Jose de Ocoa
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San Jose de Ocoa Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Jose de Ocoa

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in San Jose de Ocoa

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 Jose de Ocoa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $643 in San Jose de Ocoa, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Jose de Ocoa $643

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,033 in San Jose de Ocoa, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Jose de Ocoa $1,033

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,424 in San Jose de Ocoa, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Jose de Ocoa $1,424

Montevideo costs about 176% more than San Jose de Ocoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while San Jose de Ocoa is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$8.15 DOP 498

86.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$40.89 DOP 2,497

69.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$6.91 DOP 422

112.01%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.76 DOP 107

153.41%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.67 DOP 40.71

298.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$0.38 DOP 23.19

426.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.44 DOP 149

97.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.90 DOP 238

-2.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.15 DOP 70.2

18.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.74 DOP 106

64.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.56 DOP 95.3

12.18%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$1.51 DOP 92.1

209.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$6.39 DOP 390

117.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$3.50 DOP 214

242.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$4.78 DOP 292

150.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.63 DOP 222

-23.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.39 DOP 85.1

97.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$3.25 DOP 198

-45.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.12 DOP 129

52.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$3.57 DOP 218

-44.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$2.97 DOP 181

-30.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$0.95 DOP 58.0

44.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.59 DOP 97.2

18.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.85 DOP 296

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$16.20 DOP 989

-45.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.96 DOP 181

-23.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.31 DOP 202

-16.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.54 DOP 155

-24.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$3.23 DOP 197

-87.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.39 DOP 84.8

53.24%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$15.0K DOP 913.1K

81.31%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.8K DOP 1.6M

40.48%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$93.5 DOP 5,710

101.41%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$26.87 DOP 1,641

-23.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$38.07 DOP 2,325

17.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$4.79 DOP 293

149.48%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$150 DOP 9,173

322.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$5,520 DOP 337.1K

100.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$26.27 DOP 1,604

288.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$44.40 DOP 2,711

29.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$60.9 DOP 3,719

107.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$66.1 DOP 4,037

93.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-47.82%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose de Ocoa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Jose de Ocoa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Jose de Ocoa

$236 36.7% 28.9% $96

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Jose de Ocoa

$131 20.4% 51.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Jose de Ocoa

$158 24.7% 37.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Jose de Ocoa

$89 13.8% 52.3% $97

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Jose de Ocoa

$19 * 2.9% 77.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Jose de Ocoa

$9.6 * 1.5% 87.7% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $41.00 in San Jose de Ocoa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $236 – making San Jose de Ocoa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇴 San Jose de Ocoa

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

57,174

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Jose de Ocoa 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Jose de Ocoa

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 Jose de Ocoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 176%, 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 $964 in San Jose de Ocoa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $41.00 in San Jose de Ocoa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 Jose de Ocoa, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Jose de Ocoa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Jose de Ocoa – 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 Jose de Ocoa. 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.