Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Marcos, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
Learn more

San Marcos, TX Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,361 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $2,361
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $3,510 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $3,510
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $4,658
Montevideo $3,708

San Marcos, TX costs about 33% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Marcos, TX and Montevideo sit above the global median – San Marcos, TX by 75%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$15.16 UYU 609

-1.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-12.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$14.65 UYU 588

-19.45%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$4.46 UYU 179

5.83%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$2.67 UYU 107

8.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.83 UYU 194

6.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 $6.11

$3.80 UYU 152

60.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-44.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.87 UYU 115

11.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$1.75 UYU 70.2

113.71%

Eggs

$2.77 $2.77

$4.68 UYU 188

-40.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$13.88 UYU 557

-27.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$11.98 UYU 481

-18.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$11.97 UYU 480

8.19%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.78 UYU 111

123.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.74 UYU 110

-58.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$1.77 UYU 71.2

271.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.24 UYU 130

49.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.97 UYU 79.2

102.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.07 UYU 83.1

41.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.37 UYU 55.1

33.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$5.59 UYU 224

51.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 $13.93

$8.78 UYU 352

58.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-21.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.75 UYU 110

43.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.91 UYU 76.7

139.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.40 UYU 16.18

355.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 $59.5

$10.33 UYU 415

475.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-61.97%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

32.96%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-31.00%

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

$134 $134

$188 UYU 7,557

-28.83%

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

$40.38 $40.38

$20.54 UYU 824

96.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 $55.8

$44.81 UYU 1,798

24.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 $68.9

$54.0 UYU 2,166

27.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 $11.32

$11.95 UYU 480

-5.27%

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

$665 $665

$634 UYU 25.5K

4.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

60.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$102 UYU 4,099

-41.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.15 $38.15

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-33.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 $83.0

$127 UYU 5,079

-34.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$128 UYU 5,131

-4.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$719 UYU 28.8K

87.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$568 UYU 22.8K

121.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 $2,855

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

149.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

115.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,463 $2,463

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-27.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 $1,874

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-3.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,143 $3,143

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

152.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.74

12.37%

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

Last update for San Marcos, TX: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Marcos, TX

$1.3K 53.3%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 54.8% $690

Groceries & Markets

San Marcos, TX

$363 15.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 8.7% $32

Eating Out

San Marcos, TX

$268 11.4%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 0.3% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Marcos, TX

$230 9.8%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 10.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 36.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 14.9% $14

Getting Around

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 517% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in San Marcos, TX 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 152% higher in San Marcos, TX, 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 $60.0 in San Marcos, TX versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in San Marcos, TX vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

2 h ahead of San Marcos, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,894

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Marcos, TX Montevideo 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

San Marcos, TX
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 Marcos, TX vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Marcos, TX is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,541 per month in San Marcos, TX 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 Montevideo, 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 $60.0 in San Marcos, TX 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 10% more in San Marcos, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in San Marcos, TX at $2,361. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Marcos, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – 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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Marcos, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.