Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Grande and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Grande: $1,235 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
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Rio Grande Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Rio Grande

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,235

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Rio Grande vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Rio Grande $1,235
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,938 per month in Rio Grande vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Rio Grande $1,938
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,641 per month in Rio Grande vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Rio Grande $2,641
Montevideo $3,708

Rio Grande is about 30% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Rio Grande sits 9% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 $19.07

$15.16 UYU 609

25.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$69.2 UYU 2,776

17.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 $9.16

$14.65 UYU 588

-37.47%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$4.46 UYU 179

-21.52%

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

$1.86 $1.86

$2.67 UYU 107

-30.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 $2.93

$4.83 UYU 194

-39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.80 UYU 152

33.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-7.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.87 UYU 115

6.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.75 UYU 70.2

32.57%

Eggs

$5.53 $5.53

$4.68 UYU 188

18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$13.88 UYU 557

-10.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 $9.89

$11.98 UYU 481

-17.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.97 UYU 480

8.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$2.78 UYU 111

76.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.74 UYU 110

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.77 UYU 71.2

176.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.24 UYU 130

47.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.97 UYU 79.2

95.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.07 UYU 83.1

6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.37 UYU 55.1

47.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-15.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$5.59 UYU 224

116.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 $15.17

$8.78 UYU 352

72.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.26 UYU 90.9

37.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.75 UYU 110

47.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.91 UYU 76.7

28.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.40 UYU 16.18

285.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 $41.58

$10.33 UYU 415

302.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-44.13%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

48.72%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-23.97%

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

$319 $319

$188 UYU 7,557

69.35%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$20.54 UYU 824

236.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$44.81 UYU 1,798

54.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.88 $10.88

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-79.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 $7.82

$11.95 UYU 480

-34.56%

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

$807 $807

$634 UYU 25.5K

27.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

11.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.21 $25.21

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-56.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 $90.9

$127 UYU 5,079

-28.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.7 $50.7

$128 UYU 5,131

-60.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.74

14.11%

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

Last update for Rio Grande: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Grande

$457 37%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 44.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Rio Grande

$381 30.9%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 13% $50

Eating Out

Rio Grande

$260 21.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 3.5% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Grande

$100 8.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 86.5% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Grande

$27 2.2%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 194% $51

Getting Around

Rio Grande

$10 * 0.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 732% $74

Accommodation & Living

Rio Grande

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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 $82.0 in Rio Grande versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Rio Grande

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

1 h ahead of Rio Grande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,467

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rio Grande Montevideo 6,010 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio Grande
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

Rio Grande vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,853 per month in Rio Grande and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Rio Grande and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio Grande, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Rio Grande it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio Grande – 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 Rio Grande. 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.