Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Clara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Clara: $952 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara
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Santa Clara Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santa Clara

🇨🇺 Cuba

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $952 in Santa Clara, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santa Clara $952

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,432 in Santa Clara, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santa Clara $1,432

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,912 in Santa Clara, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santa Clara $1,912

Montevideo costs about 86% more than Santa Clara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Santa Clara is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$3.67 CUP 88.0

313.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$27.41 CUP 658

152.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$4.90 CUP 118

198.98%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.05 CUP 25.15

324.76%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.53 CUP 36.75

74.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.92 CUP 21.99

117.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.23 CUP 29.56

292.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.05 CUP 49.31

85.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.82 CUP 67.7

-51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.16 CUP 27.94

147.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.72 CUP 41.16

1.74%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.48 CUP 83.5

34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$4.55 CUP 109

205.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$4.74 CUP 114

152.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$8.66 CUP 208

38.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$6.11 CUP 147

-54.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.06 CUP 25.38

158.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.00 CUP 96.0

-55.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.28 CUP 54.7

42.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.90 CUP 69.7

-32.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.76 CUP 66.2

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.67 CUP 16.06

104.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.53 CUP 12.80

254.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$1.69 CUP 40.57

230.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$5.24 CUP 126

67.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.70 CUP 40.90

32.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.05 CUP 49.14

34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.54 CUP 60.9

-24.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.34 CUP 8.08

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$20.04 CUP 481

-48.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.28 CUP 30.61

66.41%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$59.0K CUP 1.4M

-54.07%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$61.2K CUP 1.5M

-40.73%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$47.01 CUP 1,128

300.55%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$38.40 CUP 922

-46.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$90.5 CUP 2,172

-50.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$0.84 CUP 20.05

1322.62%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$157 CUP 3,757

305.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$12.3K CUP 296.1K

-10.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$51.3 CUP 1,231

99.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$41.95 CUP 1,007

37.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$81.0 CUP 1,945

56.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$66.4 CUP 1,595

92.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$344 CUP 8,260

108.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$351 CUP 8,413

62.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$739 CUP 17.7K

54.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$598 CUP 14.4K

71.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$277 CUP 6,646

1124.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$293 CUP 7,037

564.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

9.1

-36.92%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Clara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santa Clara

$351 36.8% 38.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santa Clara

$235 24.7% 29.2% $97

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santa Clara

$77 8.1% 71.5% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santa Clara

$176 18.5% 30.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santa Clara

$108 11.4% 41.9% $78

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santa Clara

$4.2 * 0.4% 95% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santa Clara

$1.7 * 0.2% 97.9% $76

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 $344 in Santa Clara. 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 $27.00 in Santa Clara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $235 – making Santa Clara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇺 Santa Clara

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

216,056

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, 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 = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Santa Clara 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santa Clara

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 Clara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 86%, 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 $1,428 in Santa Clara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Clara, 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 $27.00 in Santa Clara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Clara, where all-in costs run around $952, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Clara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Clara – 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 Clara. 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.