Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,197 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $2,197 in San Juan, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
San Juan $2,197

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $3,317 in San Juan, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
San Juan $3,317

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $4,436 in San Juan, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
San Juan $4,436

Montevideo is about 17% cheaper than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and San Juan sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, San Juan by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$18.95 $18.95

-19.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$81.6 $81.6

-17.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$9.01 $9.01

59.49%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.63 $3.63

27.82%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.92 $1.92

42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.44 $1.44

45.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.96 $2.96

60.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$5.12 $5.12

-28.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$2.16 $2.16

-36.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.64 $3.64

-23.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$2.40 $2.40

-29.58%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$7.30 $7.30

-38.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$12.48 $12.48

13.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$9.91 $9.91

21.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$13.15 $13.15

-7.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$5.01 $5.01

-42.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.57 $2.57

7.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$4.83 $4.83

-64.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.68 $4.68

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.69 $3.69

-43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.89 $3.89

-46.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$3.35 $3.35

-58.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.65 $1.65

12.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$11.90 $11.90

-53.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$15.42 $15.42

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.98 $2.98

-23.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.91 $3.91

-30.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.78 $0.78

94.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$29.65 $29.65

148.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$2.53 $2.53

-28.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.53 $1.53

-73.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$41.18 $41.18

-74.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.23 $1.23

80.49%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$39.7K $39.7K

-32.69%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$28.0K $28.0K

30.99%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$323 $323

-40.94%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$70.0 $70.0

-70.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$70.1 $70.1

-37.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$41.55 $41.55

30.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$7.78 $7.78

152.96%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$10.57 $10.57

16.65%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$814 $814

-24.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$12.4K $12.4K

-10.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$55.5 $55.5

85.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$61.6 $61.6

-9.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$107 $107

16.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$113 $113

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$1,791 $1,791

-60.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$847 $847

-32.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$2,872 $2,872

-60.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,496 $1,496

-32.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$7,513 $7,513

-55.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$3,351 $3,351

-42.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$2,674 $2,674

-54.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.55

-12.37%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

San Juan

$847 37.8% 47.3% $272

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Juan

$412 18.4% 24% $80

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

San Juan

$261 11.6% 3.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

San Juan

$463 20.7% 81.4% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

San Juan

$152 6.8% 18.4% $34

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

San Juan

$43 1.9% 48.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

San Juan

$63 2.8% 20.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $1,791 in San Juan. 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 118% higher in San Juan, 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 $82.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $412 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

08:14 8:14 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Juan 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Juan

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Juan is pricier by about 21%, 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 $3,295 in San Juan. 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 $814 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in San Juan, 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 Juan at $2,197. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan 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 Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.