Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Vallarta and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Vallarta: $1,635 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
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Puerto Vallarta Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,635

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in Puerto Vallarta vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Puerto Vallarta $1,635
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,465 per month in Puerto Vallarta vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Puerto Vallarta $2,465
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,295 per month in Puerto Vallarta vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Puerto Vallarta $3,295
Montevideo $3,750

Puerto Vallarta is about 10% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Puerto Vallarta and Montevideo sit above the global median – Puerto Vallarta by 22%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 MX$256

$15.26 UYU 613

-8.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 MX$1,054

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-14.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$200

$14.37 UYU 578

-24.15%

Cappuccino

$4.06 MX$74.5

$4.64 UYU 187

-12.50%

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

$1.95 MX$35.86

$2.73 UYU 110

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.45

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-33.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$56.7

$4.75 UYU 191

-34.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 MX$79.7

$3.67 UYU 147

18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MX$34.99

$1.38 UYU 55.5

38.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 MX$64.1

$2.77 UYU 112

25.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.07

$1.69 UYU 67.8

19.53%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.33

$4.52 UYU 182

-50.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$182

$14.17 UYU 570

-29.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.00 MX$202

$12.07 UYU 485

-8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.15 MX$296

$12.16 UYU 489

32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.5

$2.87 UYU 116

-0.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.75 UYU 110

-44.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.50

$1.73 UYU 69.5

11.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$38.99

$3.24 UYU 130

-34.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.02

$2.07 UYU 83.1

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 MX$58.5

$2.07 UYU 83.1

54.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$25.55

$1.38 UYU 55.4

0.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MX$21.16

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-37.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$5.57 UYU 224

-19.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 MX$200

$8.89 UYU 357

22.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 MX$34.42

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-18.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 MX$49.77

$2.70 UYU 109

0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.42

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 MX$392

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-70.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 MX$84.4

$1.82 UYU 73.4

152.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 MX$55.3

$0.40 UYU 16.05

652.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$10.66 UYU 429

-57.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.71

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-29.73%

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

$21.4K MX$393.8K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-19.81%

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

$24.7K MX$453.5K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-32.77%

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

$85.6 MX$1,572

$191 UYU 7,674

-55.13%

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

$26.25 MX$482

$20.40 UYU 820

28.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.63 MX$599

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-26.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 MX$676

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-32.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 MX$279

$19.68 UYU 791

-22.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 MX$161

$12.33 UYU 496

-29.03%

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

$328 MX$6,021

$613 UYU 24.7K

-46.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,190 MX$113.6K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-43.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,010

$103 UYU 4,134

-46.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 MX$641

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-37.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,897

$124 UYU 5,000

-16.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 MX$1,796

$130 UYU 5,214

-24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 MX$23.9K

$705 UYU 28.4K

84.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MX$12.8K

$575 UYU 23.1K

21.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 MX$37.5K

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

79.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 MX$21.0K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

12.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,090 MX$93.4K

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

51.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,598 MX$47.7K

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

33.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$948 MX$17.4K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-22.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

5.74

103.83%

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

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Vallarta

$699 43.2%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 17.7% $123

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Vallarta

$316 19.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Puerto Vallarta

$230 14.2%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 17.7% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Vallarta

$145 8.9%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 76.7% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Vallarta

$131 8.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 41.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Vallarta

$54 3.4%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 45.1% $25

Getting Around

Puerto Vallarta

$44 2.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 92.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta 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 30% 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 Puerto Vallarta versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $332 – making Puerto Vallarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

3 h ahead of Puerto Vallarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,166

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Vallarta Montevideo 8,060 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Vallarta
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

Puerto Vallarta vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,452 per month in Puerto Vallarta 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 Puerto Vallarta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $328 per month in Puerto Vallarta and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Vallarta, where all-in costs run around $1,635, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Puerto Vallarta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Vallarta – 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 Puerto Vallarta. 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.