Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santo Domingo Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $643 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo Este
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Santo Domingo Este Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Santo Domingo Este

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 Santo Domingo Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $643 in Santo Domingo Este, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santo Domingo Este $643

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,043 in Santo Domingo Este, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santo Domingo Este $1,043

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,442 in Santo Domingo Este, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santo Domingo Este $1,442

Montevideo costs about 175% more than Santo Domingo Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Santo Domingo Este is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$5.06 DOP 310

199.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$40.96 DOP 2,509

68.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$6.51 DOP 399

125.04%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.00 DOP 61.3

346.00%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.04 DOP 63.8

156.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.60 DOP 36.58

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.41 DOP 147

100.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.14 DOP 193

21.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.34 DOP 81.9

1.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.47 DOP 90.0

95.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.59 DOP 97.5

10.06%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.29 DOP 141

104.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$7.20 DOP 441

92.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$5.68 DOP 348

110.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$6.70 DOP 411

78.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.08 DOP 189

-9.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.84 DOP 51.4

226.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.72 DOP 167

-34.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.87 DOP 115

73.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.97 DOP 121

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.23 DOP 137

-7.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.02 DOP 62.7

34.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.95 DOP 58.3

97.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.35 DOP 328

4.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$10.36 DOP 635

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.60 DOP 159

-13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.96 DOP 182

-7.09%

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

$3.28 DOP 201

-41.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.20 DOP 135

-81.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$5.66 DOP 346

82.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.29 DOP 79.3

65.12%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

18.49%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$33.8K DOP 2.1M

7.25%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$93.6 DOP 5,735

101.13%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$32.04 DOP 1,963

-35.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$35.97 DOP 2,204

24.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$7.49 DOP 459

59.55%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$251 DOP 15.4K

152.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$7,405 DOP 453.6K

49.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$45.98 DOP 2,817

122.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$45.49 DOP 2,787

26.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$87.4 DOP 5,356

44.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$121 DOP 7,425

5.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

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

$593 DOP 36.3K

110.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

13.56

-57.67%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santo Domingo Este

$220 34.2% 33.7% $112

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.1% 64% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santo Domingo Este

$162 25.1% 36.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santo Domingo Este

$135 21% 27.5% $51

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2% 83.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santo Domingo Este

$15 * 2.3% 80.7% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 110% 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 $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $220 – making Santo Domingo Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,000,230

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Santo Domingo Este 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santo Domingo Este

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 Santo Domingo Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 175%, 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 $964 in Santo Domingo Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% 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 Santo Domingo Este, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santo Domingo Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santo Domingo Este – 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 Santo Domingo Este. 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.