Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $771 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$771

/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 $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $771 in San Juan, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Juan $771

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,321 in San Juan, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Juan $1,321

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,870 in San Juan, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Juan $1,870

Montevideo costs about 130% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while San Juan is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.47 TTD 70.4

44.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$59.2 TTD 398

16.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.95 TTD 53.5

84.28%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.63 TTD 24.39

22.87%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.21 TTD 8.15

120.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.75 TTD 5.07

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.23 TTD 14.98

116.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.01 TTD 20.23

26.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.98 TTD 13.33

-31.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.36 TTD 15.86

21.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.91 TTD 19.56

-39.86%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.74 TTD 25.14

25.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.80 TTD 45.75

104.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.15 TTD 68.3

18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$8.89 TTD 59.8

34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.51 TTD 37.04

-49.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.53 TTD 17.00

8.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.60 TTD 24.22

-50.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.25 TTD 28.57

-23.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$0.77 TTD 5.17

155.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$0.71 TTD 4.81

191.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.45 TTD 9.76

-5.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.21 TTD 8.13

55.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.77 TTD 38.81

-3.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$18.00 TTD 121

-51.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.56 TTD 10.49

44.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.01 TTD 20.23

-8.64%

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

$0.87 TTD 5.82

119.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.85 TTD 5.71

-52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$14.64 TTD 98.5

-29.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.16 TTD 7.78

83.62%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$37.6K TTD 253.1K

-27.94%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$41.0K TTD 275.6K

-11.49%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$43.82 TTD 295

329.71%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$42.30 TTD 285

-51.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$44.86 TTD 302

-0.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$8.95 TTD 60.2

33.52%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$398 TTD 2,678

59.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$10.8K TTD 72.6K

2.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$53.8 TTD 362

89.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$37.61 TTD 253

52.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$87.8 TTD 591

44.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$89.9 TTD 605

42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

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 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

5.75

-0.17%

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: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Juan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Juan

$320 41.5% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Juan

$176 22.8% 34.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Juan

$131 17% 48.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Juan

$121 15.7% 35% $65

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Juan

$5.1 * 0.7% 93.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Juan

$18 * 2.3% 77% $60

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 $59.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $320 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇹🇹 San Juan

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Juan 5,100 km ≈ 7 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 – Montevideo is pricier by about 130%, 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 $1,157 in San Juan. 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 $59.0 in San Juan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $771, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – 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. 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.