Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Zamora de Hidalgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zamora de Hidalgo: $1,226 a month against $1,764 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Montevideo, Uruguay
Zamora de Hidalgo, Mexico
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,764
/mo nomad
Zamora de Hidalgo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,226
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Zamora de Hidalgo

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 Zamora de Hidalgo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,764 per month in Montevideo vs $1,226 in Zamora de Hidalgo, rent included.

  • Montevideo $1,764
  • Zamora de Hidalgo $1,226

A couple spends around $2,751 per month in Montevideo vs $1,845 in Zamora de Hidalgo, rent included.

  • Montevideo $2,751
  • Zamora de Hidalgo $1,845

A family of three spends $3,738 per month in Montevideo vs $2,464 in Zamora de Hidalgo, rent included.

  • Montevideo $3,738
  • Zamora de Hidalgo $2,464

Montevideo costs about 44% more than Zamora de Hidalgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 30% above the global median, while Zamora de Hidalgo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.45 UYU 622
$7.92 MX$148
95.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.2 UYU 2,701
$19.01 MX$356
253.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.41 UYU 580
$9.17 MX$172
57.14%
Cappuccino
$4.53 UYU 182
$3.63 MX$68.0
24.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 UYU 104
$1.62 MX$30.37
59.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 UYU 74.6
$1.04 MX$19.43
78.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.74 UYU 191
$1.65 MX$30.82
187.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 UYU 146
$2.61 MX$48.83
39.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 UYU 50.2
$1.83 MX$34.26
-31.69%
White Bread (500g)
$3.03 UYU 122
$2.64 MX$49.41
14.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 UYU 67.7
$2.00 MX$37.49
-16.00%
Eggs
$4.62 UYU 186
$2.63 MX$49.25
75.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.25 UYU 573
$8.55 MX$160
66.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.38 UYU 458
$8.74 MX$163
30.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.21 UYU 491
$13.19 MX$247
-7.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 UYU 115
$3.30 MX$61.8
-13.03%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 UYU 108
$1.61 MX$30.18
66.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 UYU 68.7
$2.15 MX$40.14
-20.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.09 UYU 124
$1.93 MX$36.02
60.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 UYU 80.0
$1.73 MX$32.34
15.03%
Onion (1kg)
$2.13 UYU 85.6
$1.79 MX$33.43
18.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 UYU 56.5
$1.50 MX$28.03
-6.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 UYU 80.2
$1.22 MX$22.83
63.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.59 UYU 225
$4.44 MX$83.1
25.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.26 UYU 332
$17.54 MX$328
-52.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.25 UYU 90.4
$2.13 MX$39.90
5.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 UYU 113
$3.80 MX$71.1
-26.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.62 UYU 65.1
$0.62 MX$11.69
161.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$74.1 UYU 2,979
$29.74 MX$556
149.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.89 UYU 76.0
$3.14 MX$58.7
-39.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.04 UYU 42.01
$2.52 MX$47.16
-58.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.65 UYU 509
$10.85 MX$203
16.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.16 UYU 86.8
$1.52 MX$28.51
42.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.2K UYU 1.1M
$23.8K MX$444.7K
10.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.5K UYU 1.5M
$23.6K MX$441.8K
54.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$184 UYU 7,403
$56.3 MX$1,053
226.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.28 UYU 856
$26.77 MX$501
-20.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.23 UYU 1,699
$24.38 MX$456
73.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.74 UYU 1,960
$32.63 MX$610
49.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.16 UYU 771
$19.83 MX$371
-3.38%
Cinema Ticket
$12.21 UYU 491
$7.30 MX$137
67.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$630 UYU 25.3K
$263 MX$4,918
139.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K UYU 461.0K
$5,037 MX$94.2K
127.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.4 UYU 3,999
$52.4 MX$980
89.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.0 UYU 2,292
$43.44 MX$813
31.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 UYU 4,923
$99.2 MX$1,856
23.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$134 UYU 5,394
$97.6 MX$1,825
37.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$749 UYU 30.1K
$594 MX$11.1K
26.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$569 UYU 22.9K
$434 MX$8,119
31.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 UYU 51.4K
$1,043 MX$19.5K
22.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,072 UYU 43.1K
$740 MX$13.8K
44.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,580 UYU 144.0K
$1,890 MX$35.4K
89.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,075 UYU 83.5K
$1,115 MX$20.8K
86.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montevideo
Zamora de Hidalgo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,280 UYU 51.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.65
11.99
-52.88%

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

Last update for Montevideo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zamora de Hidalgo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montevideo
$569
Zamora de Hidalgo
$434 23.7% $135
Groceries & Markets
Montevideo
$330
Zamora de Hidalgo
$299 9.3% $31
Eating Out
Montevideo
$270
Zamora de Hidalgo
$159 41.3% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montevideo
$248
Zamora de Hidalgo
$107 56.6% $140
Clothing & Footwear
Montevideo
$186
Zamora de Hidalgo
$132 29.1% $54
Getting Around
Montevideo
$88
Zamora de Hidalgo
$48 45.3% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Montevideo
$73
Zamora de Hidalgo
$47 35.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $749 in Montevideo versus $594 in Zamora de Hidalgo. 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 $67 in Montevideo versus $19 in Zamora de Hidalgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $299 – making Zamora de Hidalgo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🇲🇽 Zamora de Hidalgo
🕒 Local time
12:01 12:01 PM
09:01 9:01 AM
3 h behind Montevideo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,319,108 Capital
186,102
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.17 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montevideo Zamora de Hidalgo 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montevideo
  • Zamora de Hidalgo

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 Zamora de Hidalgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zamora de Hidalgo cheaper than Montevideo?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,645 per month in Montevideo and $1,840 in Zamora de Hidalgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Zamora de Hidalgo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $594 there versus $749 in Montevideo.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Montevideo and $263 in Zamora de Hidalgo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Montevideo and in Zamora de Hidalgo?
Groceries cost about 10% more in Montevideo, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Montevideo or in Zamora de Hidalgo?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,764 in Montevideo and $1,226 in Zamora de Hidalgo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Montevideo or Zamora de Hidalgo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Zamora de Hidalgo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Zamora de Hidalgo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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