Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and San Salvador

For one person, living is cheaper in San Salvador: $1,666 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
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San Salvador Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,666 in San Salvador, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
San Salvador $1,666

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,465 in San Salvador, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
San Salvador $2,465

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,263 in San Salvador, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
San Salvador $3,263

Montevideo costs about 9% more than San Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and San Salvador sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, San Salvador by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$6.72 $6.72

127.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$45.39 $45.39

48.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$7.07 $7.07

103.25%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$3.53 $3.53

31.44%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.13 $1.13

141.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.85 $0.85

145.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.04 $2.04

132.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.51 $3.51

4.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.87 $1.87

-26.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.89 $2.89

-4.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.40 $1.40

20.71%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.09 $3.09

46.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$7.88 $7.88

79.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.93 $6.93

74.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$10.05 $10.05

21.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$5.08 $5.08

-43.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.39 $1.39

97.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$2.53 $2.53

-31.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.40 $3.40

-4.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$2.87 $2.87

-27.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$3.28 $3.28

-36.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$0.97 $0.97

42.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$0.97 $0.97

90.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.07 $4.07

36.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.21 $12.21

-27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$2.19 $2.19

4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.86 $2.86

-5.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$0.34 $0.34

347.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$37.66 $37.66

95.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$6.04 $6.04

-69.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$3.03 $3.03

-86.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$20.11 $20.11

-46.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.29 $1.29

72.09%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$24.8K $24.8K

8.05%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$27.0K $27.0K

36.22%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$130 $130

46.27%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$21.57 $21.57

-5.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$43.03 $43.03

2.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$31.99 $31.99

69.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$21.57 $21.57

-8.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$5.06 $5.06

143.68%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$165 $165

272.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$4,640 $4,640

138.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$68.2 $68.2

50.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$46.79 $46.79

19.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$120 $120

3.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$117 $117

11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$906 $906

-22.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$755 $755

-23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,804 $1,804

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,343 $1,343

-24.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$2,813 $2,813

19.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$1,845 $1,845

5.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$372 $372

230.14%

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 5, 2026

Last update for San Salvador: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

San Salvador

$755 46.1% 31.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

San Salvador

$287 17.5% 13.8% $46

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

San Salvador

$142 8.7% 47.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

San Salvador

$195 11.9% 23.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

San Salvador

$158 9.7% 14.8% $28

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

San Salvador

$60 3.7% 28% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

San Salvador

$42 2.6% 46.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $906 in San Salvador. 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 230% 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 $45.00 in San Salvador. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $287 – making San Salvador the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

20:01 8:01 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

316,090 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo San Salvador 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
San Salvador

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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,499 in San Salvador. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Salvador, 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 $165 in San Salvador. 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 Salvador, where all-in costs run around $1,666, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In San Salvador it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Salvador – 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 Salvador. 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.