Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel de Allende and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,641 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $1,641
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $2,591
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,541 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $3,541
Montevideo $3,750

San Miguel de Allende is about 9% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Miguel de Allende and Montevideo sit above the global median – San Miguel de Allende by 22%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.45 MX$284

$15.26 UYU 613

1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.79 MX$786

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-36.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$194

$14.37 UYU 578

-26.58%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.3

$4.64 UYU 187

-17.46%

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

$1.68 MX$30.81

$2.73 UYU 110

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.65

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-48.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 MX$68.1

$4.75 UYU 191

-21.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 MX$110

$3.67 UYU 147

63.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 MX$27.59

$1.38 UYU 55.5

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 MX$60.9

$2.77 UYU 112

19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 MX$32.86

$1.69 UYU 67.8

5.92%

Eggs

$2.94 MX$53.9

$4.52 UYU 182

-34.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 MX$154

$14.17 UYU 570

-40.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 MX$229

$12.07 UYU 485

3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 MX$345

$12.16 UYU 489

54.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 MX$73.2

$2.87 UYU 116

39.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.67

$2.75 UYU 110

-39.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 MX$52.8

$1.73 UYU 69.5

65.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.6

$3.24 UYU 130

-11.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 MX$47.06

$2.07 UYU 83.1

23.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 MX$57.8

$2.07 UYU 83.1

52.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.18

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.05

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-29.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$79.2

$5.57 UYU 224

-22.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.72 MX$307

$8.89 UYU 357

88.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 MX$44.97

$2.29 UYU 92.2

6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 MX$72.5

$2.70 UYU 109

46.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.61 MX$121

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-91.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 MX$81.1

$1.82 UYU 73.4

142.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.51 MX$82.7

$0.40 UYU 16.05

1027.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 MX$204

$10.66 UYU 429

4.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.31

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-32.88%

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

$21.3K MX$390.3K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-20.51%

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

$24.6K MX$451.4K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-33.09%

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

$41.27 MX$758

$191 UYU 7,674

-78.37%

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

$16.18 MX$297

$20.40 UYU 820

-20.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.42 MX$761

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-6.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.16 MX$682

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-31.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.82 MX$786

$19.68 UYU 791

117.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 MX$120

$12.33 UYU 496

-46.88%

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

$361 MX$6,631

$613 UYU 24.7K

-41.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,936 MX$90.6K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-55.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MX$1,201

$103 UYU 4,134

-36.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 MX$1,136

$56.1 UYU 2,255

10.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MX$2,106

$124 UYU 5,000

-7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 MX$2,755

$130 UYU 5,214

15.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 MX$20.1K

$705 UYU 28.4K

55.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 MX$12.2K

$575 UYU 23.1K

15.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 MX$43.9K

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

110.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.2K

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

35.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 MX$50.3K

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-18.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,636 MX$30.0K

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-15.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 MX$11.5K

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-49.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.05

5.74

109.93%

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

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel de Allende

$663 40.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 13.2% $88

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel de Allende

$355 21.9%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 6.2% $22

Eating Out

San Miguel de Allende

$243 15%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 11.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel de Allende

$176 10.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 5.3% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel de Allende

$99 6.1%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 158% $157

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.1%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 56.8% $29

Getting Around

San Miguel de Allende

$36 2.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 133% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende versus $705 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 96% 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 $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $355 in San Miguel de Allende vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

3 h ahead of San Miguel de Allende

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,452

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Miguel de Allende Montevideo 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

San Miguel de Allende
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 Miguel de Allende vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,462 per month in San Miguel de Allende and $2,720 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $361 per month in San Miguel de Allende and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Miguel de Allende, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In San Miguel de Allende it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Miguel de Allende – 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 Miguel de Allende. 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.