Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Cristobal de las Casas and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Cristobal de las Casas: $925 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in San Cristobal de las Casas
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San Cristobal de las Casas Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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San Cristobal de las Casas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$925

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $925
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,420
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,915 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Cristobal de las Casas $1,915
Montevideo $3,708

San Cristobal de las Casas is about 48% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Cristobal de las Casas sits 31% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 MX$99.0

$15.16 UYU 609

-64.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.82 MX$514

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-59.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 MX$112

$14.65 UYU 588

-58.57%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$45.91

$4.46 UYU 179

-44.39%

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

$1.62 MX$29.93

$2.67 UYU 107

-39.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.08

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-48.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 MX$51.8

$4.83 UYU 194

-42.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 MX$59.8

$3.80 UYU 152

-14.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.10

$1.36 UYU 54.8

3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 MX$66.1

$2.87 UYU 115

24.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MX$29.62

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-8.57%

Eggs

$2.27 MX$41.91

$4.68 UYU 188

-51.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 MX$124

$13.88 UYU 557

-51.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.11 MX$76.0

$11.98 UYU 481

-65.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 MX$118

$11.97 UYU 480

-46.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$2.78 UYU 111

18.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 MX$38.81

$2.74 UYU 110

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.80

$1.77 UYU 71.2

24.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MX$26.74

$3.24 UYU 130

-55.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 MX$29.75

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-18.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-14.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 MX$33.56

$1.37 UYU 55.1

32.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MX$29.68

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-14.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.88 MX$34.79

$5.59 UYU 224

-66.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 MX$195

$8.78 UYU 352

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 MX$44.35

$2.26 UYU 90.9

6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.27

$2.75 UYU 110

-28.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.41

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-63.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-62.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 MX$49.67

$1.91 UYU 76.7

40.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 MX$51.6

$0.40 UYU 16.18

597.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MX$25.66

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-34.74%

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

$19.0K MX$351.7K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-29.80%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

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

$32.74 MX$605

$188 UYU 7,557

-82.61%

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

$14.82 MX$274

$20.54 UYU 824

-27.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.42 MX$377

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-54.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.92 MX$423

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-57.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.54 MX$435

$19.75 UYU 793

19.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$11.95 UYU 480

-43.68%

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

$208 MX$3,843

$634 UYU 25.5K

-67.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,657 MX$49.1K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-75.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.35 MX$358

$102 UYU 4,099

-81.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.33 MX$505

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-52.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 MX$1,765

$127 UYU 5,079

-24.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 MX$999

$128 UYU 5,131

-57.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 MX$8,014

$719 UYU 28.8K

-39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 MX$5,938

$568 UYU 22.8K

-43.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 MX$16.4K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-22.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$527 MX$9,741

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-48.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$835 MX$15.4K

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-75.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 MX$12.3K

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-65.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$403 MX$7,451

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-67.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.8

5.74

70.73%

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

Last update for San Cristobal de las Casas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Cristobal de las Casas

$321 34.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 76.7% $247

Groceries & Markets

San Cristobal de las Casas

$242 26.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 36.8% $89

Eating Out

San Cristobal de las Casas

$122 13.2%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 121% $147

Clothing & Footwear

San Cristobal de las Casas

$88 9.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 111% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Cristobal de las Casas

$68 7.4%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 273% $186

Getting Around

San Cristobal de las Casas

$47 5.1%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 80.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

San Cristobal de las Casas

$36 3.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 114% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in San Cristobal de las Casas 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.

Salaries run about 209% higher in Montevideo, 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 $28.00 in San Cristobal de las Casas versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $332 – making San Cristobal de las Casas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:23 2:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

3 h ahead of San Cristobal de las Casas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,509

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Cristobal de las Casas Montevideo 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

San Cristobal de las Casas
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

San Cristobal de las Casas vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas 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 San Cristobal de las Casas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in San Cristobal de las Casas and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 San Cristobal de las Casas, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In San Cristobal de las Casas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Cristobal de las Casas – 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 San Cristobal de las Casas. 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.