Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta del Este and Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,069 a month against $1,876 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Punta del Este
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Punta del Este Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Minas
Learn more

Minas Living Index

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Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,876

/mo nomad

Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Minas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,876 per month in Punta del Este vs $1,069 in Minas, rent included.

Punta del Este $1,876
Minas $1,069

A couple spends around $2,682 per month in Punta del Este vs $1,734 in Minas, rent included.

Punta del Este $2,682
Minas $1,734

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Punta del Este vs $2,400 in Minas, rent included.

Punta del Este $3,488
Minas $2,400

Punta del Este costs about 76% more than Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Punta del Este sits 38% above the global median, while Minas is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.31 UYU 534

$14.86 UYU 597

-10.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 UYU 1,727

$69.7 UYU 2,799

-38.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.58 UYU 545

$14.61 UYU 586

-7.05%

Cappuccino

$4.60 UYU 184

$4.66 UYU 187

-1.29%

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

$2.34 UYU 94.0

$2.77 UYU 111

-15.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.8

$2.01 UYU 80.7

-1.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 UYU 118

$4.87 UYU 196

-39.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 UYU 141

$3.84 UYU 154

-8.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.17

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.90 UYU 116

-3.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$1.72 UYU 69.1

1.16%

Eggs

$4.35 UYU 174

$4.61 UYU 185

-5.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$14.12 UYU 567

-15.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.25 UYU 452

$11.33 UYU 455

-0.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 UYU 479

$12.00 UYU 482

-0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 UYU 114

$2.86 UYU 115

-1.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 UYU 114

$2.82 UYU 113

0.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 UYU 71.7

$1.73 UYU 69.5

3.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 UYU 127

$3.09 UYU 124

2.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 UYU 80.8

$1.92 UYU 76.9

4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$2.15 UYU 86.2

-2.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 UYU 56.2

$1.43 UYU 57.5

-2.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 UYU 78.8

$1.90 UYU 76.3

3.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$5.34 UYU 214

4.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 UYU 334

$8.49 UYU 341

-1.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 UYU 93.9

$2.26 UYU 90.6

3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 UYU 112

$2.84 UYU 114

-1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$0.76 UYU 30.54

78.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 UYU 2,017

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.3

$1.88 UYU 75.5

1.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.19

$0.40 UYU 16.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.71 UYU 390

$10.47 UYU 420

-7.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.1

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-1.85%

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

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

-0.06%

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

$36.0K UYU 1.4M

$36.8K UYU 1.5M

-2.20%

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

$114 UYU 4,561

$186 UYU 7,459

-38.85%

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

$21.05 UYU 845

$20.60 UYU 827

2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.10 UYU 1,770

$45.30 UYU 1,818

-2.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 UYU 2,240

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.52 UYU 743

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 UYU 488

$12.43 UYU 499

-2.25%

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

$505 UYU 20.3K

$615 UYU 24.7K

-17.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,635 UYU 266.3K

$11.0K UYU 443.2K

-39.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 UYU 3,563

$104 UYU 4,185

-14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.73 UYU 1,474

$56.9 UYU 2,284

-35.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 UYU 5,045

$122 UYU 4,899

2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 UYU 4,801

$131 UYU 5,247

-8.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 UYU 44.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 UYU 33.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 UYU 76.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 UYU 47.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,822 UYU 153.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 UYU 78.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 UYU 43.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-12.89%

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

Last update for Punta del Este: October 18, 2026

Last update for Minas: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punta del Este

$830 44.3%

Minas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Punta del Este

$319 17%

Minas

$329 30.8% 3.2% $10

Eating Out

Punta del Este

$241 12.9%

Minas

$270 25.2% 11.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta del Este

$179 9.5%

Minas

$252 23.6% 40.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Punta del Este

$167 8.9%

Minas

$186 17.4% 11.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Punta del Este

$80 4.3%

Minas

$25 * 2.3% 69% $55

Getting Around

Punta del Este

$60 3.2%

Minas

$6.9 * 0.7% 88.4% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Punta del Este versus $70.0 in Minas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $329 – making Punta del Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Minas

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

Same time as Punta del Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,300

38,446

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,876 in Punta del Este, $1,069 in Minas – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,814 per month in Punta del Este and $1,604 in Minas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,876 in Punta del Este and $1,069 in Minas. That's a gap of about 76%.

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Punta del Este and $615 in Minas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Minas, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Punta del Este at $1,876. In Minas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Punta del Este it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Minas – 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 Minas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Punta del Este makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.