Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
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San Juan del Sur Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in San Juan del Sur

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,058 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Juan del Sur $1,058

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,682 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Juan del Sur $1,682

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,307 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Juan del Sur $2,307

Montevideo costs about 67% more than San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while San Juan del Sur is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$4.17 NIO 153

263.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$34.08 NIO 1,248

102.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$5.57 NIO 204

163.02%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.56 NIO 93.7

74.22%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.86 NIO 31.37

210.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.68 NIO 25.02

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.47 NIO 53.8

228.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.23 NIO 81.8

70.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.24 NIO 45.36

9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.53 NIO 55.9

87.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.19 NIO 43.56

47.06%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.44 NIO 89.2

91.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.71 NIO 283

80.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.15 NIO 225

94.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$7.84 NIO 287

52.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.10 NIO 150

-32.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.62 NIO 22.71

341.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.84 NIO 67.3

-3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.45 NIO 89.9

32.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.11 NIO 114

-36.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.18 NIO 79.9

-5.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.05 NIO 38.54

30.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.05 NIO 38.52

79.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$2.76 NIO 101

102.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$9.76 NIO 357

-10.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.42 NIO 51.9

59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.18 NIO 79.7

26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.58 NIO 58.0

20.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.64 NIO 60.3

-75.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$6.87 NIO 252

50.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.34 NIO 49.13

58.96%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

18.65%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

35.93%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$60.8 NIO 2,225

209.91%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$10.32 NIO 378

99.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$33.01 NIO 1,209

35.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$30.51 NIO 1,118

76.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$9.23 NIO 338

29.47%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$233 NIO 8,530

172.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

80.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$61.1 NIO 2,237

67.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$66.1 NIO 2,421

-12.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$123 NIO 4,500

2.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$146 NIO 5,331

-12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$423 NIO 15.5K

69.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$393 NIO 14.4K

44.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$930 NIO 34.1K

23.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$797 NIO 29.2K

28.32%

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

$346 NIO 12.7K

259.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.92

-51.85%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2% 30.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3% 32.2% $107

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3% 63.3% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8% 59% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8% 4.5% $8.3

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9% 88.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6% 37.1% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $423 in San Juan del Sur. 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 260% 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 $34.00 in San Juan del Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $225 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

14,741

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.18 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Juan del Sur 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Juan del Sur

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 Juan del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 67%, 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 $1,586 in San Juan del Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan del Sur, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo and $34.00 in San Juan del Sur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan del Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Juan del Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan del Sur – 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 Juan del Sur. 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.