Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Turrialba

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Turrialba: $1,784 and $1,726 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
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Turrialba Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Turrialba

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,726 in Turrialba, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Turrialba $1,726

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $2,753 in Turrialba, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Turrialba $2,753

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $3,779 in Turrialba, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Turrialba $3,779

Montevideo costs about 3% more than Turrialba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montevideo and Turrialba sit above the global median – Montevideo by 32%, Turrialba by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$11.97 ₡5,370

23.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$60.9 ₡27.3K

14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$11.78 ₡5,283

24.62%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$4.34 ₡1,946

7.14%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.75 ₡1,233

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.94 ₡871

6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$3.32 ₡1,488

44.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$4.40 ₡1,973

-17.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$2.35 ₡1,052

-40.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$3.06 ₡1,372

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$2.53 ₡1,134

-32.81%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$3.60 ₡1,612

28.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$10.54 ₡4,726

34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$10.32 ₡4,630

12.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$14.16 ₡6,352

-13.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$5.07 ₡2,273

-45.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.57 ₡705

81.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$4.74 ₡2,124

-61.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$3.97 ₡1,782

-19.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$3.91 ₡1,754

-50.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$3.71 ₡1,663

-41.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.13 ₡505

26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$3.19 ₡1,431

-39.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$6.07 ₡2,724

-9.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$20.24 ₡9,076

-55.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$2.84 ₡1,274

-20.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$3.60 ₡1,613

-21.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$1.28 ₡574

21.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$2.45 ₡1,101

-22.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.57 ₡704

-72.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$8.80 ₡3,948

20.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.50 ₡671

41.33%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$22.2K ₡10.0M

20.45%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$34.6K ₡15.5M

7.07%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$96.4 ₡43.2K

99.67%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$35.27 ₡15.8K

-40.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$59.2 ₡26.5K

-24.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$73.7 ₡33.0K

-31.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$7.87 ₡3,527

56.29%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$993 ₡445.3K

-36.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-36.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$72.0 ₡32.3K

44.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$56.4 ₡25.3K

1.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$128 ₡57.5K

-2.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$134 ₡60.1K

-1.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$808 ₡362.3K

-11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$626 ₡280.7K

-8.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,870 ₡838.7K

-37.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$1,287 ₡577.2K

-19.70%

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

8.62

-33.41%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Turrialba

$626 36.3% 8.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Turrialba

$402 23.3% 20.4% $68

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Turrialba

$227 13.2% 15.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Turrialba

$191 11.1% 26.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Turrialba

$176 10.2% 6.7% $13

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9% 81.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Turrialba

$89 5.2% 18.6% $14

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 $808 in Turrialba. 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 $61.0 in Turrialba. Groceries tell a different story – $334 in Montevideo vs $402 in Turrialba – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

27,000

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Turrialba 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Turrialba

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 Turrialba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $2,589 in Turrialba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Turrialba, 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 $61.0 in Turrialba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Turrialba, where all-in costs run around $1,726, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Turrialba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Turrialba – 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 Turrialba. 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.