Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta del Este and Mercedes

For one person, living is cheaper in Mercedes: $1,285 a month against $1,850 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Punta del Este
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Punta del Este Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Mercedes
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Mercedes Living Index

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Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,850

/mo nomad

Mercedes

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Punta del Este and in Mercedes

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

A single person spends $1,850 per month in Punta del Este vs $1,285 in Mercedes, rent included.

Punta del Este $1,850
Mercedes $1,285

A couple spends around $2,677 per month in Punta del Este vs $1,968 in Mercedes, rent included.

Punta del Este $2,677
Mercedes $1,968

A family of three spends $3,503 per month in Punta del Este vs $2,650 in Mercedes, rent included.

Punta del Este $3,503
Mercedes $2,650

Punta del Este costs about 44% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Punta del Este sits 37% above the global median, while Mercedes is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.23 UYU 533

$15.66 UYU 630

-15.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 UYU 1,720

$63.1 UYU 2,539

-32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 UYU 550

$14.04 UYU 565

-2.71%

Cappuccino

$4.37 UYU 176

$2.53 UYU 102

72.73%

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

$2.29 UYU 92.4

$2.51 UYU 101

-8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 UYU 76.1

$0.88 UYU 35.23

114.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 UYU 121

$2.47 UYU 99.3

22.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 UYU 145

$3.79 UYU 153

-4.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 UYU 47.11

$1.25 UYU 50.3

-6.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 UYU 111

$3.02 UYU 121

-8.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 UYU 67.7

$1.43 UYU 57.5

17.48%

Eggs

$4.18 UYU 168

$2.80 UYU 113

49.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 UYU 486

$14.35 UYU 578

-15.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 UYU 465

$11.51 UYU 464

0.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 UYU 475

$7.40 UYU 298

59.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 115

$2.01 UYU 81.1

41.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 UYU 108

$2.42 UYU 97.4

11.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 UYU 65.5

$1.14 UYU 45.91

42.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 UYU 124

$2.92 UYU 118

5.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 UYU 80.2

$1.91 UYU 77.1

4.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.3

$2.17 UYU 87.4

-4.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 UYU 54.0

$1.39 UYU 56.2

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 UYU 78.5

$1.71 UYU 68.8

14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.87 UYU 196

14.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 UYU 322

$8.29 UYU 334

-3.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 UYU 93.4

$2.33 UYU 93.9

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 UYU 112

$2.77 UYU 112

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 UYU 54.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.03 UYU 1,974

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 UYU 77.3

$1.84 UYU 74.1

4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 UYU 42.05

$1.06 UYU 42.54

-1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.93 UYU 400

$12.77 UYU 514

-22.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$2.24 UYU 90.1

-4.91%

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

$26.0K UYU 1.0M

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-2.57%

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

$36.6K UYU 1.5M

$36.9K UYU 1.5M

-0.87%

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

$116 UYU 4,666

$183 UYU 7,387

-36.84%

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

$20.69 UYU 833

$21.33 UYU 859

-3.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.62 UYU 1,716

$43.14 UYU 1,737

-1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 UYU 2,288

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.32 UYU 738

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 497

$12.07 UYU 486

2.32%

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

$498 UYU 20.0K

$632 UYU 25.4K

-21.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,744 UYU 271.5K

$11.2K UYU 451.2K

-39.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 UYU 3,668

$99.0 UYU 3,985

-7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.53 UYU 1,511

$57.1 UYU 2,297

-34.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,983

$120 UYU 4,838

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 UYU 4,795

$130 UYU 5,247

-8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 UYU 43.7K

$582 UYU 23.4K

86.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 UYU 32.5K

$295 UYU 11.9K

172.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 UYU 78.4K

$627 UYU 25.3K

210.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 UYU 48.4K

$452 UYU 18.2K

166.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,879 UYU 156.2K

$3,050 UYU 122.8K

27.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,037 UYU 82.0K

$1,968 UYU 79.2K

3.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,065 UYU 42.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.65

-11.50%

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

Last update for Punta del Este: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mercedes: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punta del Este

$806 43.6%

Mercedes

$295 23% 63.3% $511

Groceries & Markets

Punta del Este

$316 17.1%

Mercedes

$296 23% 6.4% $20

Eating Out

Punta del Este

$238 12.9%

Mercedes

$231 18% 2.9% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta del Este

$179 9.7%

Mercedes

$248 19.3% 38.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Punta del Este

$167 9%

Mercedes

$183 14.2% 9.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Punta del Este

$82 4.4%

Mercedes

$24 * 1.9% 70.4% $57

Getting Around

Punta del Este

$62 3.3%

Mercedes

$7.1 * 0.6% 88.4% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,086 in Punta del Este versus $582 in Mercedes. 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 $43 in Punta del Este versus $63 in Mercedes. Groceries tell a different story – $316 in Punta del Este vs $296 in Mercedes – so Mercedes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Mercedes

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

Same time as Punta del Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,300

41,975

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.48 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

100 UYU = 2.48 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Punta del Este Mercedes 340 km

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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

Punta del Este vs Mercedes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Punta del Este costs about 44% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,776 per month in Punta del Este and $1,928 in Mercedes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mercedes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $582 there versus $1,086 in Punta del Este.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Punta del Este and $63 in Mercedes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Punta del Este, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,850 in Punta del Este and $1,285 in Mercedes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Punta del Este has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Mercedes to $1,850 in Punta del Este. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.