Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Punta del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,327 a month against $1,852 in Punta del Este, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index
91

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

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Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,327

/mo nomad

Punta del Este

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Punta del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Salto vs $1,852 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Salto $1,327
Punta del Este $1,852

A couple spends around $1,946 per month in Salto vs $2,687 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Salto $1,946
Punta del Este $2,687

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Salto vs $3,522 in Punta del Este, rent included.

Salto $2,565
Punta del Este $3,522

Salto is about 28% cheaper than Punta del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Salto sits 2% below the global median, while Punta del Este is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.15 UYU 648

$13.29 UYU 533

21.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.91 UYU 1,481

$44.19 UYU 1,773

-16.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 UYU 470

$13.56 UYU 544

-13.72%

Cappuccino

$3.34 UYU 134

$4.59 UYU 184

-27.23%

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

$2.16 UYU 86.7

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-9.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 UYU 64.2

$1.98 UYU 79.5

-19.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 UYU 178

$2.91 UYU 117

52.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 UYU 122

$3.45 UYU 138

-12.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 UYU 56.1

$1.17 UYU 47.12

19.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 UYU 86.5

$2.70 UYU 108

-20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 UYU 60.6

$1.74 UYU 69.7

-13.22%

Eggs

$5.15 UYU 207

$4.32 UYU 173

19.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.85 UYU 596

$11.98 UYU 481

23.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 UYU 345

$11.56 UYU 464

-25.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 UYU 410

$11.91 UYU 478

-14.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 49.03

$2.81 UYU 113

-56.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 UYU 90.6

$2.74 UYU 110

-17.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 UYU 48.25

$1.71 UYU 68.7

-29.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 UYU 75.0

$3.09 UYU 124

-39.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 UYU 33.76

$1.93 UYU 77.6

-56.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.4

$1.99 UYU 80.1

-14.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 UYU 38.05

$1.37 UYU 54.9

-30.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 UYU 61.1

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 UYU 206

$5.40 UYU 217

-5.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 UYU 298

$7.88 UYU 316

-5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 UYU 75.1

$2.32 UYU 93.2

-19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 UYU 108

$2.74 UYU 110

-2.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.64 UYU 25.63

$1.42 UYU 57.0

-54.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 UYU 1,205

$49.81 UYU 1,999

-39.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.80 UYU 152

$0.41 UYU 16.34

826.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 UYU 396

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 UYU 76.0

$2.19 UYU 88.0

-13.70%

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

$27.5K UYU 1.1M

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

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

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

$200 UYU 8,024

$115 UYU 4,620

73.67%

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

$21.57 UYU 866

$21.17 UYU 850

1.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.06 UYU 1,207

$44.74 UYU 1,795

-32.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.99 UYU 1,445

$55.3 UYU 2,219

-34.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.49 UYU 501

$18.48 UYU 742

-32.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 UYU 404

$12.31 UYU 494

-18.20%

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

$491 UYU 19.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,494 UYU 180.4K

$6,599 UYU 264.9K

-31.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 UYU 3,557

$88.5 UYU 3,550

0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 UYU 2,246

$37.11 UYU 1,489

50.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 UYU 4,525

$124 UYU 4,959

-8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 UYU 2,652

$119 UYU 4,793

-44.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 UYU 17.8K

$1,106 UYU 44.4K

-59.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 UYU 12.2K

$809 UYU 32.5K

-62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 UYU 29.6K

$1,917 UYU 76.9K

-61.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 UYU 17.0K

$1,218 UYU 48.9K

-65.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,867 UYU 155.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,025 UYU 81.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 UYU 24.6K

$1,078 UYU 43.2K

-43.18%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Punta del Este: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salto

$303 22.8%

Punta del Este

$809 43.7% 167% $506

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$272 20.5%

Punta del Este

$316 17.1% 16.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$252 19%

Punta del Este

$181 9.8% 28% $71

Eating Out

Salto

$248 18.7%

Punta del Este

$241 13% 2.7% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$146 11%

Punta del Este

$166 9% 14% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$56 4.2%

Punta del Este

$80 4.3% 42.4% $24

Getting Around

Salto

$52 * 3.9%

Punta del Este

$59 3.2% 15.2% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $444 in Salto versus $1,106 in Punta del Este. 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 76% higher in Punta del Este, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Salto versus $44.00 in Punta del Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $316 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇺🇾 Punta del Este

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

Same time as Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

9,300

💱 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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Salto Punta del Este 490 km

From you

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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,327 in Salto, $1,852 in Punta del Este – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Salto and $2,778 in Punta del Este. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Salto and $1,852 in Punta del Este. That's a gap of about 40%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Salto and $44.00 in Punta del Este. 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 $1,327, than in Punta del Este at $1,852. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Punta del Este it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Salto – 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 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.