Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samana and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $717 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Samana
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Samana Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$717

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $717 per month in Samana vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Samana $717
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Samana vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Samana $1,173
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Samana vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Samana $1,629
Montevideo $3,708

Samana is about 60% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Samana sits 47% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 DOP 489

$15.16 UYU 610

-47.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.46 DOP 2,532

$69.2 UYU 2,780

-40.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.85 DOP 419

$14.65 UYU 589

-53.24%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$4.46 UYU 179

-59.42%

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

$0.71 DOP 43.29

$2.67 UYU 107

-73.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 DOP 24.82

$2.00 UYU 80.5

-79.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 154

$4.83 UYU 194

-47.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 DOP 240

$3.80 UYU 153

3.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 73.5

$1.36 UYU 54.9

-11.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 DOP 109

$2.87 UYU 115

-37.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 DOP 90.7

$1.75 UYU 70.3

-15.43%

Eggs

$1.46 DOP 89.0

$4.68 UYU 188

-68.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.29 DOP 384

$13.88 UYU 558

-54.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 DOP 214

$11.98 UYU 482

-70.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.71 DOP 288

$11.97 UYU 481

-60.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 DOP 220

$2.78 UYU 112

29.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 84.1

$2.74 UYU 110

-49.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 DOP 206

$1.77 UYU 71.3

90.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 DOP 111

$3.24 UYU 130

-43.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 DOP 213

$1.97 UYU 79.3

77.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 DOP 172

$2.07 UYU 83.2

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 57.5

$1.37 UYU 55.2

-31.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 DOP 96.4

$1.88 UYU 75.4

-15.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 DOP 286

$5.59 UYU 225

-16.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 DOP 515

$8.78 UYU 353

-3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 DOP 183

$2.26 UYU 91.0

32.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 DOP 202

$2.75 UYU 111

20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 DOP 47.96

$1.53 UYU 61.6

-48.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 DOP 152

$1.91 UYU 76.8

29.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 DOP 198

$0.40 UYU 16.21

710.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 DOP 73.7

$2.13 UYU 85.7

-43.19%

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

$14.9K DOP 907.7K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-45.17%

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

$25.8K DOP 1.6M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-28.88%

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

$94.1 DOP 5,746

$188 UYU 7,570

-50.04%

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

$16.30 DOP 995

$20.54 UYU 826

-20.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.80 DOP 2,309

$44.81 UYU 1,801

-15.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 DOP 293

$11.95 UYU 481

-59.83%

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

$150 DOP 9,185

$634 UYU 25.5K

-76.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,511 DOP 336.5K

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

-50.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.75 DOP 1,634

$102 UYU 4,106

-73.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.85 DOP 2,739

$57.5 UYU 2,313

-22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 DOP 3,786

$127 UYU 5,088

-51.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.6 DOP 3,946

$128 UYU 5,139

-49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 DOP 8,073

$719 UYU 28.9K

-81.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$98.4 DOP 6,010

$568 UYU 22.8K

-82.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 DOP 20.4K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-70.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 DOP 14.8K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-76.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

91.64%

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

Last update for Samana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samana

$218 30.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 51.8% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samana

$148 20.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 71.2% $105

Eating Out

Samana

$131 18.3%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 105% $138

Accommodation & Living

Samana

$98 13.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 477% $469

Clothing & Footwear

Samana

$89 12.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 109% $97

Getting Around

Samana

$22 * 3%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 287% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Samana

$9.6 * 1.3%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 710% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Samana versus $719 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Samana versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $332 – making Samana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Samana

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

1 h ahead of Samana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,179

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Samana Montevideo 6,170 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Samana
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

Samana vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,075 per month in Samana and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Samana and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Samana, where all-in costs run around $717, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Samana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Samana – 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 Samana. 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.