Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Cruz

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Santa Cruz: $1,771 and $1,758 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 Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santa Cruz $1,758

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,778 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santa Cruz $2,778

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,798 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santa Cruz $3,798

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$12.29 ₡5,523

23.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$62.6 ₡28.1K

10.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$10.81 ₡4,856

35.52%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.58 ₡2,059

-2.62%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.20 ₡989

21.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$1.90 ₡854

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.31 ₡1,489

45.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$4.36 ₡1,958

-12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$2.38 ₡1,070

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.16 ₡1,422

-9.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$2.48 ₡1,113

-29.44%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.56 ₡1,599

31.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$10.50 ₡4,717

32.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$10.51 ₡4,722

13.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$14.15 ₡6,359

-15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$5.20 ₡2,336

-46.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.07 ₡482

156.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$4.83 ₡2,170

-63.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.91 ₡1,758

-17.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$3.87 ₡1,741

-49.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$3.64 ₡1,636

-43.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$1.13 ₡508

21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$3.08 ₡1,383

-38.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$5.78 ₡2,596

-3.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$20.18 ₡9,068

-56.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$2.88 ₡1,294

-21.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.68 ₡1,654

-25.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$1.29 ₡581

18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.50 ₡1,125

-23.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$1.56 ₡701

-74.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.60 ₡3,864

20.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.56 ₡702

36.54%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.1K ₡9.9M

22.89%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.07%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$94.5 ₡42.4K

99.32%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$35.98 ₡16.2K

-42.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$59.8 ₡26.9K

-25.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$71.7 ₡32.2K

-24.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$6.75 ₡3,034

77.04%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$978 ₡439.3K

-35.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-35.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$72.2 ₡32.4K

41.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$56.1 ₡25.2K

2.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$129 ₡58.0K

-1.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$132 ₡59.1K

-2.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$912 ₡409.8K

-21.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$665 ₡298.7K

-14.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,689 ₡759.1K

-32.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,310 ₡588.5K

-21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

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 Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8% 17.1% $97

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8% 20.6% $68

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9% 15.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8% 25% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santa Cruz

$175 10% 6% $11

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9% 81.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9% 9.4% $7.3

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 $912 in Santa Cruz. 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 $63.0 in Santa Cruz. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $400 in Santa Cruz – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,665

💱 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 = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Santa Cruz 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santa Cruz

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 Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 1%, 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 $2,637 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, 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 $63.0 in Santa Cruz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% 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 Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,758, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz – 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 Cruz. 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.