Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Tecla: $1,355 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santa Tecla $1,355

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,006 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santa Tecla $2,006

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,657 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santa Tecla $2,657

Montevideo costs about 31% more than Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Santa Tecla sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Santa Tecla by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$6.56 $6.56

131.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$44.20 $44.20

56.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$6.82 $6.82

114.81%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.50 $3.50

27.43%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.15 $1.15

132.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.86 $0.86

132.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.98 $1.98

143.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.63 $3.63

4.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.75 $1.75

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.14 $2.14

34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.43 $1.43

22.38%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.30 $2.30

103.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.52 $7.52

84.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.55 $5.55

115.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.23 $10.23

17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.27 $3.27

-14.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.37 $1.37

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.64 $2.64

-32.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.54 $3.54

-8.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.98 $2.98

-33.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.35 $3.35

-38.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.96 $0.96

42.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.98 $0.98

91.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.94 $3.94

41.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$12.06 $12.06

-27.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.20 $2.20

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.95 $2.95

-6.78%

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

$6.16 $6.16

-68.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.06 $3.06

-86.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$20.27 $20.27

-49.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.24 $1.24

71.77%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$25.4K $25.4K

6.59%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$27.0K $27.0K

34.42%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$132 $132

42.81%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$20.92 $20.92

-1.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$42.31 $42.31

5.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$24.72 $24.72

118.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.03 $5.03

137.57%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$160 $160

295.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$4,809 $4,809

129.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$67.0 $67.0

52.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$46.85 $46.85

22.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$116 $116

8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$115 $115

10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$765 $765

-5.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$548 $548

3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,200 $1,200

-4.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$887 $887

15.40%

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

$406 $406

206.54%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 3.5% $20

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 21.6% $72

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 47.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 23.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 16.6% $31

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 74.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 55.3% $43

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 $765 in Santa Tecla. 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 207% 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 $44.00 in Santa Tecla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $260 – making Santa Tecla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

23:55 11:55 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

138,695

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

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Montevideo Santa Tecla 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
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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 Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 31%, 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 $2,032 in Santa Tecla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Tecla, 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 $44.00 in Santa Tecla. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 Tecla, where all-in costs run around $1,355, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Tecla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Tecla – 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 Tecla. 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.