Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Toa Alta

For one person, living is cheaper in Toa Alta: $1,234 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Toa Alta
Learn more

Toa Alta Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Toa Alta

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Toa Alta

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,234 in Toa Alta, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Toa Alta $1,234

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,933 in Toa Alta, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Toa Alta $1,933

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,633 in Toa Alta, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Toa Alta $2,633

Montevideo costs about 44% more than Toa Alta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Toa Alta is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$12.77 $12.77

18.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$82.3 $82.3

-16.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.97 $8.97

63.32%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.47 $3.47

28.53%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.54 $1.54

73.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.41 $1.41

41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.97 $2.97

62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.06 $5.06

-24.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.23 $2.23

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.53 $3.53

-18.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.40 $2.40

-27.08%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$5.14 $5.14

-8.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$5.07 $5.07

173.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.68 $9.68

23.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$6.38 $6.38

87.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.04 $5.04

-44.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.66 $2.66

3.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.94 $4.94

-64.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.71 $4.71

-31.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.75 $3.75

-47.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.95 $3.95

-47.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$3.36 $3.36

-59.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.59 $1.59

18.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$11.84 $11.84

-52.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$14.83 $14.83

-40.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.95 $2.95

-23.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$3.93 $3.93

-30.03%

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

$2.45 $2.45

-22.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.48 $1.48

-72.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$42.49 $42.49

-75.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.18 $1.18

80.51%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$40.3K $40.3K

-32.81%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$27.7K $27.7K

30.92%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$317 $317

-40.56%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$70.4 $70.4

-70.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$69.2 $69.2

-35.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$27.67 $27.67

95.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$10.35 $10.35

15.46%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$836 $836

-24.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$12.6K $12.6K

-11.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$56.3 $56.3

81.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$61.3 $61.3

-6.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$110 $110

15.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$112 $112

13.99%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.55

-12.37%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Toa Alta: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Toa Alta

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Toa Alta

$359 29.1% 8.3% $27

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Toa Alta

$208 16.8% 22.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Toa Alta

$456 37% 79.9% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Toa Alta

$153 12.4% 18% $34

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Toa Alta

$9.8 * 0.8% 88.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Toa Alta

$48 3.9% 37.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $82.0 in Toa Alta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $359 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇷 Toa Alta

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

18:22 6:22 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

74,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Toa Alta 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Toa Alta

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 Toa Alta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 44%, 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 $1,851 in Toa Alta. 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 $82.0 in Toa Alta. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% 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 Toa Alta, where all-in costs run around $1,234, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Toa Alta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toa Alta – 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 Toa Alta. 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.