Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Vega Alta

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $1,948 in Vega Alta, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vega Alta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Vega Alta
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Vega Alta Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Vega Alta

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Vega 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 Vega Alta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,948 in Vega Alta, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Vega Alta $1,948

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,773 in Vega Alta, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Vega Alta $2,773

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,598 in Vega Alta, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Vega Alta $3,598

Montevideo is about 9% cheaper than Vega Alta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montevideo and Vega Alta sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Vega Alta by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$19.50 $19.50

-22.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$82.9 $82.9

-16.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$8.93 $8.93

64.05%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.69 $3.69

20.87%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.82 $1.82

46.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.45 $1.45

37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.94 $2.94

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.02 $5.02

-24.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$2.13 $2.13

-36.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.55 $3.55

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$2.32 $2.32

-24.57%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$7.19 $7.19

-34.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$12.56 $12.56

10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.82 $9.82

22.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$13.57 $13.57

-11.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.13 $5.13

-45.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.67 $2.67

2.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$4.73 $4.73

-62.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.78 $4.78

-32.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$3.79 $3.79

-48.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$3.88 $3.88

-46.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$3.47 $3.47

-60.52%

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

$11.82 $11.82

-52.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$15.40 $15.40

-42.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$3.12 $3.12

-27.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$4.07 $4.07

-32.43%

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

$2.56 $2.56

-25.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.51 $1.51

-73.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$41.70 $41.70

-75.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.24 $1.24

71.77%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$39.5K $39.5K

-31.29%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$27.6K $27.6K

31.60%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$317 $317

-40.64%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$69.3 $69.3

-70.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$69.0 $69.0

-35.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$10.52 $10.52

13.59%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$811 $811

-21.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$12.7K $12.7K

-12.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$56.0 $56.0

82.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$61.2 $61.2

-5.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$110 $110

15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$114 $114

12.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$404 $404

77.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$629 $629

-9.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$887 $887

29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$751 $751

36.24%

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 Vega Alta: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Vega Alta

$629 32.3% 10.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Vega Alta

$414 21.2% 24.7% $82

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Vega Alta

$265 13.6% 1.6% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Vega Alta

$455 23.4% 79.6% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Vega Alta

$153 7.9% 17.7% $33

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Vega Alta

$10 * 0.5% 88% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Vega Alta

$21 * 1.1% 73% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $404 in Vega Alta. 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $83.0 in Vega Alta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $414 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇵🇷 Vega Alta

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

40,000

💱 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 →

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

From you

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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 Vega Alta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vega Alta is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,922 in Vega Alta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo and $83.0 in Vega Alta. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Vega Alta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Vega Alta at $1,948. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vega Alta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – 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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vega Alta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.