Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in San José vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

San José $913
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in San José vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

San José $1,449
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in San José vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

San José $1,985
Montevideo $3,728

San José is about 49% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San José sits 33% below the global median, while Montevideo is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$14.82 UYU 595

-12.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-37.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$14.68 UYU 589

-5.86%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$4.65 UYU 186

4.95%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$2.74 UYU 110

-13.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$2.07 UYU 82.9

5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$4.79 UYU 192

-39.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$3.63 UYU 146

-4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-28.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$2.89 UYU 116

-30.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$1.70 UYU 68.1

-13.53%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$4.62 UYU 185

-43.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$14.22 UYU 571

-15.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$11.62 UYU 466

-37.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$12.23 UYU 491

-1.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$2.77 UYU 111

-55.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$2.85 UYU 114

-45.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$1.81 UYU 72.5

-33.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$3.20 UYU 129

-51.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$1.94 UYU 77.8

-49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-40.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$1.43 UYU 57.3

4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$1.94 UYU 77.9

2.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$5.47 UYU 219

79.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$8.95 UYU 359

-8.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$2.26 UYU 90.8

34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$2.81 UYU 113

19.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$1.90 UYU 76.2

84.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$0.43 UYU 17.36

702.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$10.59 UYU 425

-6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$2.12 UYU 85.2

1.42%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

35.90%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

8.27%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$193 UYU 7,727

-41.15%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$20.91 UYU 839

13.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$44.89 UYU 1,802

4.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$12.30 UYU 494

0.41%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$629 UYU 25.2K

-21.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

-38.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$104 UYU 4,166

-14.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-34.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$125 UYU 5,010

31.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$132 UYU 5,315

-11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-12.89%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 30.1% $77

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 10.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 40.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 2.7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 205% $51

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 305% $63

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

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 $44.00 in San José versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $334 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

Same time as San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

1,319,108 Capital

💱 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

San José Montevideo 79 km

From you

San José
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 José vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in San José and $2,676 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 $44.00 in San José and $70.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In San José it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San José – 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 José. 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.