Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Zapopan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zapopan: $1,518 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Zapopan
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Zapopan Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Zapopan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Zapopan

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,518 in Zapopan, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Zapopan $1,518

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,203 in Zapopan, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Zapopan $2,203

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,888 in Zapopan, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Zapopan $2,888

Montevideo costs about 17% more than Zapopan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Zapopan sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Zapopan by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.95 MX$202

38.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$33.24 MX$614

108.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.12 MX$205

31.74%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.76 MX$69.4

18.62%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.11 MX$20.48

140.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.17 MX$21.68

70.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.20 MX$40.74

119.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.48 MX$82.7

-15.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.49 MX$27.51

-8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.58 MX$47.70

11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.21 MX$22.28

44.63%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.73 MX$50.5

71.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.44 MX$156

64.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.07 MX$186

18.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$10.14 MX$187

18.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.96 MX$54.7

-6.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.43 MX$26.39

91.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.71 MX$31.68

3.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.18 MX$40.25

48.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.23 MX$41.19

-11.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.60 MX$48.12

-20.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.88 MX$34.70

-27.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.19 MX$22.01

57.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.68 MX$105

-1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$6.48 MX$120

35.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.83 MX$33.78

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.84 MX$52.4

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.54 MX$10.01

183.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$32.31 MX$597

129.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.42 MX$44.72

-21.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.54 MX$46.94

-84.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.80 MX$181

5.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.46 MX$26.99

45.89%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.9K MX$385.6K

29.92%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$23.9K MX$441.7K

51.72%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$125 MX$2,301

51.24%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$24.20 MX$447

-15.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$29.26 MX$541

53.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$43.29 MX$800

24.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$13.80 MX$255

43.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.37 MX$99.3

122.53%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$166 MX$3,076

281.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$7,056 MX$130.4K

56.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$46.26 MX$855

120.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$25.07 MX$463

129.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$73.8 MX$1,364

71.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$118 MX$2,184

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$969 MX$17.9K

-25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$658 MX$12.2K

-13.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,667 MX$30.8K

-31.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,026 MX$19.0K

-0.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$5,695 MX$105.2K

-40.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,559 MX$28.8K

25.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$1,013 MX$18.7K

22.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zapopan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Zapopan

$658 43.3% 15.8% $90

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Zapopan

$265 17.5% 20% $66

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Zapopan

$195 12.9% 27.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Zapopan

$178 11.7% 29.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Zapopan

$119 7.8% 36.4% $68

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Zapopan

$50 3.3% 41.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Zapopan

$54 3.6% 30.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $969 in Zapopan. 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 23% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $33.00 in Zapopan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $265 – making Zapopan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Zapopan

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,257,547

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Montevideo Zapopan 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Zapopan

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 Zapopan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,277 in Zapopan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zapopan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $166 in Zapopan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zapopan, where all-in costs run around $1,518, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Zapopan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zapopan – 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 Zapopan. 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.