Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuevo Laredo and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuevo Laredo: $1,085 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Nuevo Laredo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,085
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuevo Laredo and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nuevo Laredo and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,085 per month in Nuevo Laredo vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Nuevo Laredo $1,085
  • Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,838 per month in Nuevo Laredo vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Nuevo Laredo $1,838
  • Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,591 per month in Nuevo Laredo vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Nuevo Laredo $2,591
  • Montevideo $3,708

Nuevo Laredo is about 39% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nuevo Laredo sits 20% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.15 MX$206
$15.16 UYU 609
-26.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.35 MX$912
$69.2 UYU 2,776
-28.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.65 MX$123
$14.65 UYU 588
-54.61%
Cappuccino
$3.65 MX$67.4
$4.46 UYU 179
-18.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 MX$24.35
$2.67 UYU 107
-50.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 MX$19.62
$2.00 UYU 80.4
-47.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.20 MX$40.68
$4.83 UYU 194
-54.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 MX$70.0
$3.80 UYU 152
-0.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.87
$1.36 UYU 54.8
6.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 MX$51.2
$2.87 UYU 115
-3.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 MX$29.68
$1.75 UYU 70.2
-8.00%
Eggs
$2.26 MX$41.81
$4.68 UYU 188
-51.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.15 MX$188
$13.88 UYU 557
-26.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.01 MX$111
$11.98 UYU 481
-49.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.97 MX$184
$11.97 UYU 480
-16.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.77 MX$51.2
$2.78 UYU 111
-0.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.07 MX$19.81
$2.74 UYU 110
-60.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 MX$29.51
$1.77 UYU 71.2
-9.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 MX$29.54
$3.24 UYU 130
-50.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 MX$25.67
$1.97 UYU 79.2
-29.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 MX$25.72
$2.07 UYU 83.1
-32.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 MX$19.98
$1.37 UYU 55.1
-21.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 MX$14.75
$1.88 UYU 75.3
-57.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.45 MX$82.2
$5.59 UYU 224
-20.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.47 MX$194
$8.78 UYU 352
19.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 MX$43.34
$2.26 UYU 90.9
3.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.83
$2.75 UYU 110
-47.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.64 MX$11.75
$1.53 UYU 61.5
-58.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$74.3 UYU 2,980
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.65 MX$49.00
$1.91 UYU 76.7
38.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 MX$35.42
$0.40 UYU 16.18
380.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.05 MX$204
$10.33 UYU 415
6.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 MX$21.22
$2.13 UYU 85.6
-46.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.8K MX$347.9K
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
-30.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$431.0K
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
-35.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.25 MX$892
$188 UYU 7,557
-74.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.32 MX$616
$20.54 UYU 824
62.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.99 MX$554
$44.81 UYU 1,798
-33.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.78 MX$680
$54.0 UYU 2,166
-31.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.39 MX$340
$19.75 UYU 793
-6.89%
Cinema Ticket
$5.62 MX$104
$11.95 UYU 480
-52.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$248 MX$4,590
$634 UYU 25.5K
-60.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,638 MX$48.8K
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
-76.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.0 MX$1,071
$102 UYU 4,099
-43.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 MX$1,056
$57.5 UYU 2,309
-0.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.8 MX$1,585
$127 UYU 5,079
-32.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 MX$2,268
$128 UYU 5,131
-3.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$686 MX$12.7K
$719 UYU 28.8K
-4.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$345 MX$6,378
$568 UYU 22.8K
-39.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 MX$22.1K
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
4.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$820 MX$15.1K
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
-19.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,952 MX$36.1K
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
-42.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,116 MX$20.6K
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
-42.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nuevo Laredo
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.53
5.74
83.45%

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

Last update for Nuevo Laredo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nuevo Laredo
$345
Montevideo
$568 64.5% $223
Groceries & Markets
Nuevo Laredo
$239
Montevideo
$332 38.6% $92
Eating Out
Nuevo Laredo
$181
Montevideo
$269 48.7% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Nuevo Laredo
$146
Montevideo
$186 27.9% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nuevo Laredo
$112
Montevideo
$254 127% $142
Sport & Entertainment
Nuevo Laredo
$48
Montevideo
$78 62.2% $30
Getting Around
Nuevo Laredo
$15 *
Montevideo
$84 470% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $686 in Nuevo Laredo versus $719 in Montevideo. 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 $49.00 in Nuevo Laredo versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $332 – making Nuevo Laredo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Nuevo Laredo
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
23:17 11:17 PM
01:17 1:17 AM
2 h ahead of Nuevo Laredo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
416,055
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nuevo Laredo Montevideo 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nuevo Laredo
  • Montevideo

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
Nuevo Laredo vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Nuevo Laredo?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,628 per month in Nuevo Laredo and $2,656 in Montevideo. 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 Nuevo Laredo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Nuevo Laredo or in Montevideo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Nuevo Laredo and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Nuevo Laredo and in Montevideo?
Groceries cost about 39% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Nuevo Laredo or in Montevideo?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nuevo Laredo, where all-in costs run around $1,085, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Nuevo Laredo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nuevo Laredo or Montevideo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nuevo Laredo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nuevo Laredo or Montevideo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Nuevo Laredo. 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.

Nuevo Laredo vs other spots: cost of living compared

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