Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Miguel de Allende

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,641 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in San Miguel de Allende

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
San Miguel de Allende $1,641

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,591 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
San Miguel de Allende $2,591

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,541 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
San Miguel de Allende $3,541

Montevideo costs about 10% more than San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and San Miguel de Allende sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, San Miguel de Allende by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$15.45 MX$284

-1.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$42.79 MX$786

57.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$10.55 MX$194

36.21%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.83 MX$70.3

21.15%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.68 MX$30.81

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.07 MX$19.65

95.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.71 MX$68.1

28.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$5.99 MX$110

-38.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$1.50 MX$27.59

-8.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.32 MX$60.9

-16.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.79 MX$32.86

-5.59%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.94 MX$53.9

53.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$8.38 MX$154

69.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$12.46 MX$229

-3.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$18.77 MX$345

-35.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$3.99 MX$73.2

-28.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.67 MX$30.67

64.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.87 MX$52.8

-39.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.86 MX$52.6

13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.56 MX$47.06

-19.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.15 MX$57.8

-34.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.15 MX$21.18

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$1.31 MX$24.05

41.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.32 MX$79.2

28.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$16.72 MX$307

-46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.45 MX$44.97

-6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.95 MX$72.5

-31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$0.57 MX$10.47

166.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$6.61 MX$121

1014.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$4.42 MX$81.1

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$4.51 MX$82.7

-91.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$11.13 MX$204

-4.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.49 MX$27.31

48.99%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.3K MX$390.3K

25.80%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.6K MX$451.4K

49.45%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$41.27 MX$758

362.42%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$16.18 MX$297

26.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$41.42 MX$761

6.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$37.16 MX$682

45.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$42.82 MX$786

-54.04%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$6.55 MX$120

88.24%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$361 MX$6,631

69.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$4,936 MX$90.6K

123.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$65.4 MX$1,201

57.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$61.9 MX$1,136

-9.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$115 MX$2,106

8.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$150 MX$2,755

-13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$1,097 MX$20.1K

-35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$663 MX$12.2K

-13.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$2,393 MX$43.9K

-52.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,375 MX$25.2K

-26.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$2,740 MX$50.3K

22.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$1,636 MX$30.0K

18.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$627 MX$11.5K

96.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

12.05

-52.37%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$663 40.9% 15.2% $88

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Miguel de Allende

$355 21.9% 6.7% $22

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

San Miguel de Allende

$243 15% 10.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$99 6.1% 61.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

San Miguel de Allende

$176 10.9% 5.1% $9.4

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

San Miguel de Allende

$36 2.2% 57.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.1% 36.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende. 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 96% 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 $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $355 in San Miguel de Allende – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

72,452

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, 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 = 45.1 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Miguel de Allende 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Miguel de Allende

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 Miguel de Allende: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,462 in San Miguel de Allende. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Miguel de Allende, 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 $361 in San Miguel de Allende. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Miguel de Allende, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In San Miguel de Allende it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Miguel de Allende – 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 Miguel de Allende. 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.