Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Rafael

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in San Rafael: $1,771 and $1,732 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,732 in San Rafael, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
San Rafael $1,732

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,736 in San Rafael, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
San Rafael $2,736

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,739 in San Rafael, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
San Rafael $3,739

Montevideo costs about 2% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and San Rafael sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, San Rafael by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$12.25 ₡5,496

23.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$61.7 ₡27.7K

12.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.42 ₡5,119

28.28%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.40 ₡1,973

1.36%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.73 ₡1,225

-2.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.87 ₡841

6.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.37 ₡1,510

43.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.54 ₡2,038

-16.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.33 ₡1,044

-41.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.02 ₡1,352

-4.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.42 ₡1,084

-27.69%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.52 ₡1,580

32.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.51 ₡4,712

32.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.25 ₡4,597

16.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$14.22 ₡6,378

-15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.09 ₡2,282

-45.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.57 ₡704

74.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.68 ₡2,098

-62.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.86 ₡1,730

-16.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.88 ₡1,741

-49.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.69 ₡1,653

-43.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.09 ₡488

25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$3.13 ₡1,403

-39.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$6.11 ₡2,739

-8.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$20.14 ₡9,031

-56.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.80 ₡1,254

-19.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.58 ₡1,606

-23.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.18 ₡527

29.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.51 ₡1,124

-23.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.57 ₡703

-74.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.48 ₡3,803

21.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.54 ₡692

38.31%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.3K ₡10.0M

21.44%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$35.5K ₡15.9M

2.06%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$93.5 ₡41.9K

101.43%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$36.26 ₡16.3K

-43.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-23.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$63.0 ₡28.3K

-14.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.50 ₡3,362

59.33%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$991 ₡444.6K

-36.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$16.8K ₡7.5M

-34.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$70.5 ₡31.6K

44.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$55.6 ₡25.0K

3.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$129 ₡58.0K

-2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$133 ₡59.5K

-3.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$740 ₡332.0K

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$649 ₡291.2K

-12.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,069 ₡927.9K

-44.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,274 ₡571.5K

-19.71%

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

8.62

-33.41%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

San Rafael

$649 37.5% 14.3% $81

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Rafael

$398 23% 20% $66

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

San Rafael

$229 13.2% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

San Rafael

$188 10.9% 25.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

San Rafael

$175 10.1% 6.3% $12

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9% 82.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

San Rafael

$78 4.5% 0.2% $0.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $740 in San Rafael. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $62.0 in San Rafael. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $398 in San Rafael – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

05:49 5:49 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

30,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo San Rafael 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,599 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $62.0 in San Rafael. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,732, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Rafael it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Rafael – 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 Rafael. 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.