Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Lucia

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucia: $1,285 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucia
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Santa Lucia Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,285 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santa Lucia $1,285

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,823 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santa Lucia $1,823

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,361 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santa Lucia $2,361

Montevideo costs about 38% more than Santa Lucia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Santa Lucia is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.19 CUP 245

48.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$29.61 CUP 711

133.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.20 CUP 173

103.47%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.34 CUP 80.1

33.53%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.12 CUP 26.76

138.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.86 CUP 20.63

132.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.97 CUP 47.26

145.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.08 CUP 74.0

23.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.90 CUP 45.60

-28.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.80 CUP 43.24

59.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.54 CUP 36.91

13.64%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.69 CUP 88.5

26.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$6.30 CUP 151

120.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.94 CUP 142

101.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.16 CUP 268

7.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.78 CUP 66.6

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.53 CUP 36.69

79.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.00 CUP 47.93

-11.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.23 CUP 53.6

45.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.03 CUP 48.70

-2.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.70 CUP 40.89

21.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.98 CUP 23.64

39.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.99 CUP 23.70

89.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.99 CUP 95.8

40.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$12.01 CUP 288

-26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.64 CUP 39.28

37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.32 CUP 55.8

18.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.18 CUP 4.31

750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$25.46 CUP 611

191.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$3.30 CUP 79.1

-42.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.42 CUP 10.00

-4.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$14.93 CUP 358

-30.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.02 CUP 24.58

108.82%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$71.2K CUP 1.7M

-61.90%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$79.3K CUP 1.9M

-54.28%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$35.11 CUP 843

436.31%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$15.11 CUP 363

35.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$255 CUP 6,116

-82.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$40.70 CUP 977

32.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$14.83 CUP 356

33.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$0.97 CUP 23.37

1131.96%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$165 CUP 3,950

285.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$4,007 CUP 96.2K

175.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$69.4 CUP 1,666

47.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$55.7 CUP 1,337

3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$98.7 CUP 2,369

28.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$104 CUP 2,499

22.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$556 CUP 13.4K

29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$347 CUP 8,321

63.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$739 CUP 17.7K

54.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$498 CUP 11.9K

105.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$346 CUP 8,312

879.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$369 CUP 8,853

428.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$55.1 CUP 1,321

2161.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

4.94

16.19%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Lucia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santa Lucia

$347 27% 39% $221

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santa Lucia

$244 19% 26.3% $87

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santa Lucia

$167 13% 37.9% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santa Lucia

$305 23.7% 20.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santa Lucia

$148 11.5% 20.8% $39

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santa Lucia

$32 2.5% 62.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santa Lucia

$43 3.3% 45.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $556 in Santa Lucia. 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 2161% 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $30.00 in Santa Lucia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $244 – making Santa Lucia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇺 Santa Lucia

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Santa Lucia 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santa Lucia

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 Lucia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,927 in Santa Lucia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $165 in Santa Lucia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Lucia, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Lucia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Lucia – 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 Lucia. 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.