Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Miguel

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel: $1,339 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
65

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel
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San Miguel Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Miguel

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,339 in San Miguel, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Miguel $1,339

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,969 in San Miguel, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Miguel $1,969

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,599 in San Miguel, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Miguel $2,599

Montevideo costs about 32% more than San Miguel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while San Miguel is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$4.07 $4.07

272.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$24.63 $24.63

180.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$6.54 $6.54

124.01%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.95 $2.95

51.19%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$0.77 $0.77

246.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.64 $0.64

212.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.95 $1.95

147.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.51 $3.51

8.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.81 $1.81

-24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.81 $2.81

2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.39 $1.39

25.90%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.08 $3.08

51.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.70 $7.70

80.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.94 $6.94

72.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.45 $10.45

14.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.19 $5.19

-46.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.42 $1.42

92.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.63 $2.63

-32.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.47 $3.47

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.98 $2.98

-33.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.21 $3.21

-35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.01 $1.01

35.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.99 $0.99

89.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.07 $4.07

37.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.86 $11.86

-25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.19 $2.19

3.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.83 $2.83

-2.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.37 $0.37

313.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$27.13 $27.13

173.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$6.08 $6.08

-68.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.95 $2.95

-86.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.90 $9.90

4.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.23 $1.23

73.17%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$25.1K $25.1K

7.96%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$27.2K $27.2K

33.57%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$131 $131

43.66%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$21.36 $21.36

-3.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$41.76 $41.76

7.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$28.38 $28.38

90.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$22.13 $22.13

-10.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.02 $5.02

138.05%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$162 $162

291.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$4,371 $4,371

152.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$64.1 $64.1

59.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$47.60 $47.60

20.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$118 $118

7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$119 $119

7.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$697 $697

3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$503 $503

12.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$989 $989

15.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$834 $834

22.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,337 $1,337

153.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$958 $958

103.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$385 $385

223.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

8.5

-32.47%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Miguel: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Miguel

$503 37.6% 11.4% $65

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Miguel

$287 21.4% 13.4% $45

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Miguel

$110 8.2% 59.1% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Miguel

$194 14.5% 23.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Miguel

$157 11.7% 15.8% $29

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Miguel

$49 3.7% 41.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Miguel

$38 2.9% 50.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $697 in San Miguel. 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 224% 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 $25.00 in San Miguel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $287 – making San Miguel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇻 San Miguel

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

247,126

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Between locations

Montevideo San Miguel 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Miguel

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 32%, 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 $2,009 in San Miguel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Miguel, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $162 in San Miguel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 Miguel, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Miguel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Miguel – 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. 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.