Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Barbara

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Santa Barbara: $1,771 and $1,749 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 Santa Barbara
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Santa Barbara Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santa Barbara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Santa Barbara

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,749 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santa Barbara $1,749

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,831 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santa Barbara $2,831

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,912 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santa Barbara $3,912

Montevideo costs about 1% more than Santa Barbara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Santa Barbara sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Santa Barbara by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$12.06 ₡5,409

25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$62.5 ₡28.0K

10.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.48 ₡5,149

27.61%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.55 ₡2,039

-1.98%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.71 ₡1,217

-1.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.85 ₡830

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.28 ₡1,471

47.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.41 ₡1,977

-13.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.41 ₡1,083

-43.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.19 ₡1,431

-10.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.49 ₡1,115

-29.72%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.48 ₡1,559

34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$10.78 ₡4,835

28.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.46 ₡4,693

14.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$14.28 ₡6,406

-16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.00 ₡2,244

-44.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.60 ₡717

71.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.63 ₡2,076

-61.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.79 ₡1,701

-14.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.71 ₡1,665

-46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.57 ₡1,602

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.13 ₡505

21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$3.24 ₡1,454

-41.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.76 ₡2,582

-2.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$20.12 ₡9,025

-56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.89 ₡1,297

-21.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.60 ₡1,613

-23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.39 ₡624

10.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.40 ₡1,075

-20.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.61 ₡721

-75.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.85 ₡3,968

16.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.49 ₡667

42.95%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.0K ₡9.9M

23.35%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.9K ₡15.6M

3.99%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$94.0 ₡42.1K

100.43%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$34.95 ₡15.7K

-41.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$58.1 ₡26.1K

-22.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$83.6 ₡37.5K

-35.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.53 ₡3,377

58.70%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$965 ₡432.9K

-34.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-34.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$70.1 ₡31.5K

45.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$54.8 ₡24.6K

4.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$127 ₡56.8K

-0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$130 ₡58.4K

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$742 ₡332.8K

-3.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$644 ₡288.7K

-11.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,915 ₡858.6K

-40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,399 ₡627.4K

-26.87%

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 Santa Barbara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santa Barbara

$644 36.8% 13.4% $76

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santa Barbara

$403 23% 21.6% $72

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santa Barbara

$229 13.1% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santa Barbara

$187 10.7% 26.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santa Barbara

$172 9.8% 7.8% $15

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santa Barbara

$16 * 0.9% 81% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santa Barbara

$99 5.6% 26.7% $21

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 $742 in Santa Barbara. 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 Santa Barbara. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $403 in Santa Barbara – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Santa Barbara

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

8,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Montevideo Santa Barbara 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santa Barbara

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 Santa Barbara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,624 in Santa Barbara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Barbara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Barbara, where all-in costs run around $1,749, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Barbara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Barbara – 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 Santa Barbara. 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.