Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,098 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Toluca

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,098 in Toluca, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Toluca $1,098

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $1,844 in Toluca, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Toluca $1,844

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $2,589 in Toluca, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Toluca $2,589

Montevideo costs about 62% more than Toluca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 32% above the global median, while Toluca is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$11.03 MX$204

34.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$42.85 MX$792

62.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$9.09 MX$168

61.50%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$3.14 MX$58.0

48.09%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.26 MX$23.24

117.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$0.76 MX$13.97

172.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$2.14 MX$39.49

123.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$3.29 MX$60.8

10.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.77 MX$32.71

-21.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$3.12 MX$57.7

-7.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$2.18 MX$40.28

-22.02%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$3.05 MX$56.3

51.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$7.94 MX$147

79.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$8.36 MX$155

39.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$8.91 MX$165

37.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$4.08 MX$75.3

-32.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$2.11 MX$39.00

35.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$2.22 MX$41.07

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$2.28 MX$42.16

40.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$2.82 MX$52.2

-31.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$2.30 MX$42.58

-6.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.64 MX$30.26

-12.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.03 MX$19.07

88.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$4.87 MX$90.0

12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$12.25 MX$226

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.99 MX$36.76

13.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$3.65 MX$67.5

-23.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$0.75 MX$13.92

108.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$3.20 MX$59.0

-40.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$2.01 MX$37.22

-78.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$10.17 MX$188

4.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.44 MX$26.66

47.22%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$24.6K MX$454.6K

8.91%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$23.5K MX$433.9K

57.53%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$58.1 MX$1,074

231.30%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$25.04 MX$463

-16.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$31.71 MX$586

41.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$48.08 MX$889

5.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

$22.66 MX$419

-12.93%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$6.95 MX$128

76.98%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$224 MX$4,131

181.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$5,244 MX$96.9K

107.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$66.7 MX$1,233

55.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$53.7 MX$992

6.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$104 MX$1,920

20.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$104 MX$1,923

27.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$705 MX$13.0K

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$289 MX$5,345

98.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$972 MX$18.0K

19.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$703 MX$13.0K

47.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$1,296 MX$24.0K

163.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$915 MX$16.9K

92.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

$1,273 MX$23.5K

-2.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.07

-48.15%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Toluca

$289 26.3% 49.7% $286

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Toluca

$289 26.4% 13.3% $44

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Toluca

$178 16.3% 33.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Toluca

$115 10.5% 55.5% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Toluca

$148 13.5% 21.5% $41

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Toluca

$16 * 1.5% 80.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Toluca

$62 5.7% 17.8% $13

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 $705 in Toluca. 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 2% higher in Toluca, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montevideo versus $43.00 in Toluca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $289 – making Toluca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

223,876

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Toluca 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Toluca

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 62%, 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 $1,647 in Toluca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 15% 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 Toluca, where all-in costs run around $1,098, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Toluca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Toluca – 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 Toluca. 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.