Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisco and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $658 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Pisco
🇵🇪 Peru
$658
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $658 per month in Pisco vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Pisco $658
  • Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,019 per month in Pisco vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Pisco $1,019
  • Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,380 per month in Pisco vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Pisco $1,380
  • Montevideo $3,708

Pisco is about 63% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pisco sits 51% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.37 PEN 15.02
$15.16 UYU 609
-71.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.60 PEN 119
$69.2 UYU 2,776
-49.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.86 PEN 23.56
$14.65 UYU 588
-53.17%
Cappuccino
$3.18 PEN 10.93
$4.46 UYU 179
-28.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 PEN 3.64
$2.67 UYU 107
-60.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 PEN 2.22
$2.00 UYU 80.4
-67.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.69 PEN 9.23
$4.83 UYU 194
-44.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 PEN 15.38
$3.80 UYU 152
17.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 PEN 5.64
$1.36 UYU 54.8
20.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.27 PEN 7.80
$2.87 UYU 115
-20.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 PEN 4.28
$1.75 UYU 70.2
-28.57%
Eggs
$1.29 PEN 4.44
$4.68 UYU 188
-72.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.22 PEN 21.36
$13.88 UYU 557
-55.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.82 PEN 16.56
$11.98 UYU 481
-59.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.40 PEN 21.98
$11.97 UYU 480
-46.53%
Apples (1kg)
$1.32 PEN 4.54
$2.78 UYU 111
-52.52%
Banana (1kg)
$0.99 PEN 3.41
$2.74 UYU 110
-63.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.36 PEN 4.66
$1.77 UYU 71.2
-23.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.61 PEN 2.08
$3.24 UYU 130
-81.17%
Potato (1kg)
$0.45 PEN 1.55
$1.97 UYU 79.2
-77.16%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 PEN 3.14
$2.07 UYU 83.1
-55.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 PEN 2.81
$1.37 UYU 55.1
-40.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 PEN 3.18
$1.88 UYU 75.3
-50.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.74 PEN 19.72
$5.59 UYU 224
2.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.54 PEN 29.34
$8.78 UYU 352
-2.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 PEN 6.34
$2.26 UYU 90.9
-18.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.43 PEN 8.34
$2.75 UYU 110
-11.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 PEN 2.93
$1.53 UYU 61.5
-44.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.08 PEN 120
$74.3 UYU 2,980
-52.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.87 PEN 13.29
$1.91 UYU 76.7
102.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 PEN 7.10
$0.40 UYU 16.18
417.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.43 PEN 25.52
$10.33 UYU 415
-28.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.64 PEN 5.64
$2.13 UYU 85.6
-23.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.4K PEN 77.0K
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
-17.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K PEN 86.9K
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
-30.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.24 PEN 149
$188 UYU 7,557
-77.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.04 PEN 55.1
$20.54 UYU 824
-21.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.49 PEN 39.46
$44.81 UYU 1,798
-74.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.15 PEN 69.2
$54.0 UYU 2,166
-62.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.94 PEN 30.72
$19.75 UYU 793
-54.73%
Cinema Ticket
$7.38 PEN 25.36
$11.95 UYU 480
-38.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$176 PEN 604
$634 UYU 25.5K
-72.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.3K PEN 45.6K
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
20.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 PEN 185
$102 UYU 4,099
-47.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.00 PEN 44.65
$57.5 UYU 2,309
-77.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.65 PEN 157
$127 UYU 5,079
-63.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$35.25 PEN 121
$128 UYU 5,131
-72.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$161 PEN 554
$719 UYU 28.8K
-77.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$129 PEN 443
$568 UYU 22.8K
-77.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$144 PEN 494
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
-85.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,834 PEN 6,300
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
-45.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,331 PEN 4,572
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
-31.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pisco
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$565 PEN 1,941
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
-54.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
5.74
55.75%

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

Last update for Pisco: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Pisco
$181
Montevideo
$332 83.2% $151
Accommodation & Living
Pisco
$129
Montevideo
$568 341% $439
Eating Out
Pisco
$123
Montevideo
$269 119% $146
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pisco
$71
Montevideo
$254 258% $183
Clothing & Footwear
Pisco
$66
Montevideo
$186 180% $120
Getting Around
Pisco
$53
Montevideo
$84 60% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Pisco
$35
Montevideo
$78 123% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $161 in Pisco 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.

Salaries run about 120% 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 $35.00 in Pisco versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $332 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Pisco
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
09:52 9:52 AM
11:52 11:52 AM
2 h ahead of Pisco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,917
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pisco Montevideo 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Pisco
  • 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
Pisco vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Pisco?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 169%, 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 $987 per month in Pisco 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 Pisco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $176 per month in Pisco and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Pisco and in Montevideo?
Groceries cost about 83% 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 $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Pisco or in Montevideo?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $658, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Pisco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Pisco or Montevideo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Pisco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Pisco 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 Pisco. 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.

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