Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Maldonado

For one person, living costs are similar in Salto and in Maldonado: $1,326 and $1,368 a month, rent and utilities included.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,326

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salto and in Maldonado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,326 in Salto versus $1,368 in Maldonado.

Salto $1,326
Maldonado $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,953 in Salto versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Salto $1,953
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Salto versus $2,988 in Maldonado.

Salto $2,579
Maldonado $2,988

Living in Salto costs roughly 3% less than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Salto is 2% below, Maldonado is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.48 UYU 661

$14.87 UYU 597

10.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.65 UYU 1,511

$54.9 UYU 2,202

-31.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 UYU 481

$13.91 UYU 558

-13.87%

Cappuccino

$3.29 UYU 132

$4.57 UYU 183

-28.01%

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

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$2.65 UYU 106

-16.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 UYU 64.4

$2.10 UYU 84.2

-23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 UYU 177

$2.95 UYU 118

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 UYU 125

$3.62 UYU 145

-14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.13 UYU 45.19

22.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$2.70 UYU 109

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 UYU 59.8

$1.77 UYU 71.1

-15.82%

Eggs

$5.31 UYU 213

$3.98 UYU 160

33.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 UYU 605

$14.11 UYU 566

6.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 UYU 352

$11.31 UYU 454

-22.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 UYU 406

$11.61 UYU 466

-12.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 UYU 49.43

$2.79 UYU 112

-55.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 UYU 87.1

$2.14 UYU 86.0

1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.37

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-30.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 UYU 74.2

$3.15 UYU 126

-41.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 UYU 35.69

$2.00 UYU 80.2

-55.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 UYU 70.0

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-13.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 UYU 37.28

$1.43 UYU 57.4

-34.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 UYU 60.8

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-22.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.32 UYU 214

$5.51 UYU 221

-3.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 UYU 307

$8.13 UYU 326

-5.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 UYU 73.1

$2.32 UYU 93.3

-21.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 UYU 103

$2.71 UYU 109

-4.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 UYU 24.18

$1.41 UYU 56.8

-57.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 UYU 1,215

$48.89 UYU 1,962

-38.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 UYU 136

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 UYU 152

$0.44 UYU 17.53

761.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 UYU 411

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 UYU 77.5

$2.24 UYU 89.9

-13.84%

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

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

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

$202 UYU 8,114

$116 UYU 4,644

74.74%

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

$21.95 UYU 881

$19.18 UYU 770

14.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.33 UYU 1,217

$45.04 UYU 1,808

-32.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.19 UYU 1,492

$48.23 UYU 1,936

-22.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.41 UYU 498

$30.20 UYU 1,212

-58.91%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 UYU 401

$12.05 UYU 484

-17.01%

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

$496 UYU 19.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,519 UYU 181.4K

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

-30.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 UYU 3,552

$90.3 UYU 3,625

-2.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 UYU 2,262

$37.34 UYU 1,498

50.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 UYU 4,542

$125 UYU 5,014

-9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.3 UYU 2,620

$118 UYU 4,729

-44.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 UYU 18.1K

$426 UYU 17.1K

5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 UYU 11.8K

$315 UYU 12.7K

-7.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 UYU 29.5K

$919 UYU 36.9K

-20.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 UYU 16.8K

$601 UYU 24.1K

-30.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$632 UYU 25.4K

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

-37.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Salto: October 17, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$293 22.1%

Maldonado

$315 23.1% 7.5% $22

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$273 20.6%

Maldonado

$317 23.2% 16.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$254 19.2%

Maldonado

$180 13.2% 29.3% $75

Eating Out

Salto

$251 18.9%

Maldonado

$257 18.8% 2.3% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$145 11%

Maldonado

$167 12.2% 14.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$57 4.3%

Maldonado

$72 5.3% 26.5% $15

Getting Around

Salto

$52 * 3.9%

Maldonado

$60 4.4% 16.4% $8.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $451 in Salto and $426 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 60% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Salto vs $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $317 per month, with Salto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

Same time as Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

62,592

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Salto Maldonado 480 km

From you

Salto
Maldonado

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

Salto vs Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salto and Maldonado differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,326 vs $1,368 including rent). Salto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Maldonado. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $451 in Salto versus $426 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Maldonado. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,326 per month in Salto versus $1,368 in Maldonado – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,326 in Salto versus $1,368 in Maldonado, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salto but tight or insufficient in Maldonado. The gap between the two cities makes Salto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Salto and Maldonado are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Salto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Maldonado. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.