Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
San Jose $3,857

Montevideo is about 7% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and San Jose sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$12.22 ₡5,510

24.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$60.1 ₡27.1K

12.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$11.77 ₡5,305

22.09%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$4.30 ₡1,939

7.91%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.72 ₡1,226

0.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$1.84 ₡830

13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.28 ₡1,480

44.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.36 ₡1,966

-15.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.38 ₡1,074

-42.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$3.12 ₡1,408

-11.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$2.41 ₡1,086

-29.88%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.47 ₡1,564

30.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$10.57 ₡4,767

34.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$10.56 ₡4,758

14.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$13.75 ₡6,196

-11.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$5.04 ₡2,274

-43.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.61 ₡727

70.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$4.59 ₡2,069

-62.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.84 ₡1,731

-15.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.77 ₡1,700

-45.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.76 ₡1,693

-44.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.12 ₡506

23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$3.20 ₡1,441

-42.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$5.84 ₡2,632

-4.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$19.73 ₡8,897

-54.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$2.75 ₡1,240

-16.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$3.66 ₡1,650

-26.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$1.12 ₡503

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$65.1 ₡29.4K

13.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.46 ₡1,110

-26.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$1.54 ₡692

-74.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$8.46 ₡3,815

26.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.55 ₡699

43.23%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.7K ₡9.8M

23.24%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$34.9K ₡15.7M

5.36%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$94.7 ₡42.7K

101.56%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-41.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-24.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-24.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-21.87%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$7.83 ₡3,532

57.47%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$971 ₡437.9K

-36.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-35.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$71.6 ₡32.3K

43.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$54.9 ₡24.7K

2.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$129 ₡58.2K

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$133 ₡60.0K

-2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$934 ₡420.9K

-24.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$770 ₡347.2K

-25.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-41.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-22.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

47.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

8.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$1,006 ₡453.5K

22.19%

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 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 33.9% $195

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 20% $67

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 15.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 26.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 5.9% $11

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 4.6% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 11.5% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $934 in San Jose. 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 22% higher in Montevideo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Montevideo versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $399 in San Jose – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.99 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Jose 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Jose

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Jose is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – 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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.