Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Punta del Este and Salto, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,330 a month against $1,854 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index

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Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,854

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,854 per month in Punta del Este vs $1,330 in Salto, rent included.

Punta del Este $1,854
Salto $1,330

A couple spends around $2,687 per month in Punta del Este vs $1,949 in Salto, rent included.

Punta del Este $2,687
Salto $1,949

A family of three spends $3,519 per month in Punta del Este vs $2,568 in Salto, rent included.

Punta del Este $3,519
Salto $2,568

Punta del Este costs about 39% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Punta del Este sits 36% above the global median, while Salto is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.25 UYU 533

$15.99 UYU 643

-17.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 UYU 1,778

$37.38 UYU 1,503

18.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 UYU 542

$11.77 UYU 474

14.44%

Cappuccino

$4.43 UYU 178

$3.40 UYU 137

30.29%

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

$2.39 UYU 96.1

$2.17 UYU 87.4

10.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 UYU 78.9

$1.60 UYU 64.5

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 UYU 121

$4.54 UYU 183

-33.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 UYU 144

$3.18 UYU 128

12.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 UYU 45.43

$1.45 UYU 58.4

-22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.16 UYU 86.7

30.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 UYU 67.3

$1.52 UYU 61.3

9.87%

Eggs

$4.31 UYU 174

$5.26 UYU 212

-18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 UYU 491

$15.25 UYU 613

-19.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 UYU 451

$8.70 UYU 350

28.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$9.75 UYU 392

22.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.27 UYU 51.1

118.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 UYU 113

$2.24 UYU 90.2

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.2

$1.21 UYU 48.72

40.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.12 UYU 125

$1.90 UYU 76.5

64.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 UYU 81.3

$0.90 UYU 36.09

124.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 UYU 84.9

$1.67 UYU 67.3

26.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 UYU 54.7

$0.87 UYU 35.07

56.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 UYU 76.9

$1.54 UYU 62.1

24.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 UYU 225

$5.23 UYU 210

6.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 UYU 330

$7.49 UYU 301

9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 UYU 90.7

$1.85 UYU 74.2

21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.70 UYU 108

1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 UYU 57.0

$0.63 UYU 25.53

125.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 UYU 2,042

$30.21 UYU 1,215

68.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 UYU 17.90

$3.76 UYU 151

-88.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 UYU 406

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 UYU 89.8

$1.97 UYU 79.3

13.20%

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

$26.5K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.2K UYU 1.5M

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

$115 UYU 4,618

$199 UYU 8,009

-42.35%

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

$20.55 UYU 827

$21.42 UYU 862

-4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.36 UYU 1,744

$30.02 UYU 1,207

44.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 UYU 2,274

$35.86 UYU 1,442

57.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.03 UYU 765

$12.59 UYU 506

51.15%

Cinema Ticket

$12.37 UYU 497

$9.97 UYU 401

24.07%

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

$494 UYU 19.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,760 UYU 271.8K

$4,520 UYU 181.8K

49.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 UYU 3,614

$88.1 UYU 3,541

2.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 UYU 1,530

$55.4 UYU 2,227

-31.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,014

$116 UYU 4,662

7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,693

$66.9 UYU 2,690

74.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 UYU 43.4K

$442 UYU 17.8K

144.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 UYU 32.6K

$303 UYU 12.2K

167.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,972 UYU 79.3K

$759 UYU 30.5K

159.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 UYU 48.8K

$418 UYU 16.8K

190.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,856 UYU 155.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,015 UYU 81.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 UYU 44.0K

$628 UYU 25.2K

74.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Punta del Este: October 25, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Punta del Este

$812 43.8%

Salto

$303 22.8% 62.7% $509

Groceries & Markets

Punta del Este

$317 17.1%

Salto

$274 20.6% 13.6% $43

Eating Out

Punta del Este

$239 12.9%

Salto

$248 18.7% 3.7% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Punta del Este

$179 9.6%

Salto

$251 18.9% 40.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Punta del Este

$166 9%

Salto

$147 11% 11.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Punta del Este

$81 4.4%

Salto

$56 4.2% 31.4% $25

Getting Around

Punta del Este

$61 3.3%

Salto

$52 * 3.9% 14.8% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,080 in Punta del Este versus $442 in Salto. 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 74% higher in Punta del Este. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Punta del Este versus $37 in Salto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $274 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Punta del Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,300

104,028

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Punta del Este Salto 490 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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,854 in Punta del Este, $1,330 in Salto – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,782 per month in Punta del Este and $1,994 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $442 there versus $1,080 in Punta del Este.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,854 in Punta del Este and $1,330 in Salto. That’s a gap of about 39%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Punta del Este and $37 in Salto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,330, than in Punta del Este at $1,854. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Punta del Este it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Punta del Este has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,330 in Salto to $1,854 in Punta del Este. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Salto. 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.