Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Montevideo

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Coco and in Montevideo: $1,765 and $1,813 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,765

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,765 per month in Playa del Coco vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,765
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,806 per month in Playa del Coco vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,806
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,847 per month in Playa del Coco vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,847
Montevideo $3,750

Playa del Coco is about 3% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa del Coco and Montevideo sit above the global median – Playa del Coco by 32%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.05 ₡8,137

$15.26 UYU 613

18.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 ₡25.9K

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-14.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 ₡5,070

$14.37 UYU 577

-21.71%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₡1,839

$4.64 UYU 186

-12.07%

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

$2.52 ₡1,138

$2.73 UYU 110

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡736

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-22.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₡1,605

$4.75 UYU 191

-25.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,774

$3.67 UYU 147

67.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$1.38 UYU 55.4

75.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 ₡1,298

$2.77 UYU 111

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 ₡1,107

$1.69 UYU 67.7

45.56%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$4.52 UYU 182

-23.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ₡4,894

$14.17 UYU 569

-23.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 ₡4,800

$12.07 UYU 485

-11.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ₡6,417

$12.16 UYU 488

17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,302

$2.87 UYU 115

78.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡744

$2.75 UYU 110

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 ₡1,520

$1.73 UYU 69.4

94.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 ₡1,522

$3.24 UYU 130

4.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,351

$2.07 UYU 83.0

44.93%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,446

$2.07 UYU 83.0

55.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₡1,219

$1.85 UYU 74.4

45.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 ₡2,521

$5.57 UYU 224

0.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.65 ₡7,504

$8.89 UYU 357

87.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,200

$2.29 UYU 92.1

16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,229

$2.70 UYU 108

1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡602

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 ₡1,501

$1.82 UYU 73.3

82.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 ₡713

$0.40 UYU 16.02

295.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 ₡4,011

$10.66 UYU 428

-16.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 ₡870

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-13.06%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-16.96%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-6.04%

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

$94.1 ₡42.4K

$191 UYU 7,662

-50.67%

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

$29.60 ₡13.3K

$20.40 UYU 819

45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$44.14 UYU 1,772

37.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$54.1 UYU 2,174

33.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

Cinema Ticket

$8.08 ₡3,641

$12.33 UYU 495

-34.47%

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

$827 ₡372.9K

$613 UYU 24.6K

34.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.6M

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

52.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 ₡32.4K

$103 UYU 4,128

-30.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 ₡25.5K

$56.1 UYU 2,251

0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$124 UYU 4,993

4.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 ₡60.6K

$130 UYU 5,207

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₡369.1K

$705 UYU 28.3K

16.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 ₡287.7K

$575 UYU 23.1K

10.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 ₡854.1K

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

66.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 ₡561.0K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

22.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$332 ₡149.6K

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

-82.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$765 ₡344.7K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-37.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

5.74

52.96%

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$638 36.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 9.8% $63

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$375 21.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 11.4% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$274 15.6%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 1% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$185 10.5%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 38.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$177 10.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 5.1% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$88 5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 10.7% $9.5

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$17 * 1%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 404% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Playa del Coco versus $705 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 61% 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 $57.0 in Playa del Coco versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Playa del Coco vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

3 h ahead of Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Coco Montevideo 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Coco
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

Playa del Coco vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,648 per month in Playa del Coco and $2,720 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Coco, 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 $57.0 in Playa del Coco and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Coco, where all-in costs run around $1,765, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Playa del Coco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Coco – 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 Playa del Coco. 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.