Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Teresa

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
Learn more

Santa Teresa Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,546 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Santa Teresa $1,546

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $2,318 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Santa Teresa $2,318

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $3,090 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Santa Teresa $3,090

Montevideo costs about 15% more than Santa Teresa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Santa Teresa sit above the global median – Montevideo by 32%, Santa Teresa by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$10.08 ₡4,519

47.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$43.44 ₡19.5K

60.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$9.24 ₡4,144

58.87%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$3.73 ₡1,673

24.66%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.97 ₡883

39.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.66 ₡745

24.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$3.00 ₡1,344

59.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$4.58 ₡2,055

-20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.98 ₡887

-29.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.90 ₡1,301

-0.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$2.21 ₡990

-23.08%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$2.93 ₡1,312

57.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$9.91 ₡4,446

43.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$9.31 ₡4,173

24.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$13.64 ₡6,116

-10.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$4.61 ₡2,068

-39.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.52 ₡681

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$4.23 ₡1,898

-57.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$3.07 ₡1,377

4.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$3.20 ₡1,437

-39.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$2.63 ₡1,180

-17.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.04 ₡466

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$2.81 ₡1,258

-30.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$5.08 ₡2,277

7.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$14.20 ₡6,368

-36.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$2.36 ₡1,058

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.56 ₡1,149

9.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$1.00 ₡449

56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$1.81 ₡810

4.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.87 ₡837

-77.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$8.00 ₡3,589

32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.45 ₡652

46.21%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$37.2K ₡16.7M

-27.92%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$32.8K ₡14.7M

12.79%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$84.7 ₡38.0K

127.43%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$26.18 ₡11.7K

-20.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$49.65 ₡22.3K

-9.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$50.6 ₡22.7K

0.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

$23.98 ₡10.8K

-17.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$8.87 ₡3,976

38.67%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$573 ₡256.9K

9.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$12.6K ₡5.6M

-13.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$62.9 ₡28.2K

64.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$51.1 ₡22.9K

12.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$127 ₡56.9K

-1.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$107 ₡47.9K

23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$700 ₡314.1K

1.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$605 ₡271.4K

-4.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,462 ₡655.5K

-20.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$970 ₡435.0K

6.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.17

-43.56%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1% 5.2% $30

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6% 4.6% $15

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4% 28.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4% 37.9% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1% 16.9% $32

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1% 82% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4% 9.3% $7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Montevideo versus $700 in Santa Teresa. 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 $70.0 in Montevideo versus $43.00 in Santa Teresa. Groceries tell a different story – $334 in Montevideo vs $349 in Santa Teresa – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

12:51 12:51 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

3,099

💱 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 Teresa 5,820 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santa Teresa

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 Teresa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $2,319 in Santa Teresa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Teresa, 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 $70.0 in Montevideo and $43.00 in Santa Teresa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Teresa, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Santa Teresa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Teresa – 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 Teresa. 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.