Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Luis Potosi

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis Potosi: $1,299 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,813
/mo nomad
San Luis Potosi
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,299
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in San Luis Potosi

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,299 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

  • Montevideo $1,813
  • San Luis Potosi $1,299

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,028 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

  • Montevideo $2,782
  • San Luis Potosi $2,028

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $2,757 in San Luis Potosi, rent included.

  • Montevideo $3,750
  • San Luis Potosi $2,757

Montevideo costs about 40% more than San Luis Potosi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while San Luis Potosi is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.26 UYU 613
$14.08 MX$259
8.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.4 UYU 2,711
$42.03 MX$772
60.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.37 UYU 578
$9.63 MX$177
49.22%
Cappuccino
$4.64 UYU 187
$3.35 MX$61.6
38.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 UYU 110
$1.33 MX$24.45
105.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 UYU 84.0
$0.97 MX$17.78
115.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.75 UYU 191
$2.67 MX$49.05
77.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 UYU 147
$4.76 MX$87.4
-22.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 UYU 55.5
$1.56 MX$28.67
-11.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 UYU 112
$2.63 MX$48.23
5.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 UYU 67.8
$1.79 MX$32.88
-5.59%
Eggs
$4.52 UYU 182
$2.64 MX$48.53
71.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.17 UYU 570
$8.63 MX$158
64.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.07 UYU 485
$10.15 MX$186
18.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.16 UYU 489
$11.43 MX$210
6.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 UYU 116
$3.34 MX$61.4
-14.07%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 UYU 110
$1.65 MX$30.26
66.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.73 UYU 69.5
$2.23 MX$40.94
-22.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.24 UYU 130
$2.57 MX$47.25
26.07%
Potato (1kg)
$2.07 UYU 83.1
$2.69 MX$49.31
-23.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 UYU 83.1
$3.14 MX$57.7
-34.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 UYU 55.4
$1.10 MX$20.23
25.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 UYU 74.5
$1.30 MX$23.80
42.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.57 UYU 224
$4.03 MX$74.0
38.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.89 UYU 357
$14.00 MX$257
-36.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 UYU 92.2
$2.15 MX$39.50
6.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 UYU 109
$3.89 MX$71.4
-30.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 UYU 61.3
$0.85 MX$15.54
78.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.7 UYU 2,962
$71.5 MX$1,313
2.98%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.82 UYU 73.4
$0.81 MX$14.88
124.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.40 UYU 16.05
$1.68 MX$30.86
-76.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.66 UYU 429
$9.80 MX$180
8.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 UYU 89.2
$1.47 MX$26.98
51.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
$21.2K MX$388.7K
26.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
$24.1K MX$442.1K
52.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$191 UYU 7,674
$41.85 MX$768
356.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.40 UYU 820
$16.14 MX$296
26.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.14 UYU 1,775
$31.49 MX$578
40.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 UYU 2,177
$31.00 MX$569
74.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.68 UYU 791
$27.81 MX$511
-29.23%
Cinema Ticket
$12.33 UYU 496
$5.84 MX$107
111.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$613 UYU 24.7K
$263 MX$4,821
133.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.0K UYU 444.3K
$3,591 MX$65.9K
207.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$103 UYU 4,134
$54.6 MX$1,002
88.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.1 UYU 2,255
$39.28 MX$721
42.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$124 UYU 5,000
$102 MX$1,876
21.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 UYU 5,214
$78.6 MX$1,444
64.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$705 UYU 28.4K
$665 MX$12.2K
6.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$575 UYU 23.1K
$466 MX$8,547
23.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,139 UYU 45.8K
$1,184 MX$21.7K
-3.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,016 UYU 40.8K
$774 MX$14.2K
31.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,349 UYU 134.6K
$1,399 MX$25.7K
139.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,942 UYU 78.1K
$884 MX$16.2K
119.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montevideo
San Luis Potosi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,229 UYU 49.4K
$872 MX$16.0K
40.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.74
12.68
-54.73%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Luis Potosi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
$575
San Luis Potosi
$465 19.1% $110
Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
$332
San Luis Potosi
$300 9.8% $33
Eating Out
Montevideo
$271
San Luis Potosi
$214 21.1% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
$255
San Luis Potosi
$89 65% $166
Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
$186
San Luis Potosi
$124 33.5% $62
Getting Around
Montevideo
$84
San Luis Potosi
$84 0.7% $0.6
Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
$79
San Luis Potosi
$43 45.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $665 in San Luis Potosi. 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 41% 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $42.00 in San Luis Potosi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $300 – making San Luis Potosi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🇲🇽 San Luis Potosi
🕒 Local time
06:52 6:52 AM
03:52 3:52 AM
3 h behind Montevideo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,319,108 Capital
845,941
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

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).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montevideo San Luis Potosi 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montevideo
  • San Luis Potosi

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 Luis Potosi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Luis Potosi cheaper than Montevideo?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,948 in San Luis Potosi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis Potosi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $263 in San Luis Potosi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Montevideo and in San Luis Potosi?
Groceries cost about 11% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Montevideo or in San Luis Potosi?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Luis Potosi, where all-in costs run around $1,299, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In San Luis Potosi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Montevideo or San Luis Potosi more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward San Luis Potosi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Montevideo or San Luis Potosi?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with San Luis Potosi. 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.

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