Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Salvador and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Salvador: $1,666 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

80

Cost of Living Index in San Salvador
Learn more

San Salvador Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

San Salvador

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,666

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,666 per month in San Salvador vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Salvador $1,666
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,465 per month in San Salvador vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Salvador $2,465
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in San Salvador vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

San Salvador $3,263
Montevideo $3,750

San Salvador is about 8% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Salvador and Montevideo sit above the global median – San Salvador by 24%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.72 $6.72

$15.26 UYU 613

-55.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.39 $45.39

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-32.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 $7.07

$14.37 UYU 578

-50.80%

Cappuccino

$3.53 $3.53

$4.64 UYU 187

-23.92%

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

$1.13 $1.13

$2.73 UYU 110

-58.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-59.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$4.75 UYU 191

-57.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.67 UYU 147

-4.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.38 UYU 55.5

35.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.77 UYU 112

4.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.69 UYU 67.8

-17.16%

Eggs

$3.09 $3.09

$4.52 UYU 182

-31.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 $7.88

$14.17 UYU 570

-44.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 $6.93

$12.07 UYU 485

-42.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.05 $10.05

$12.16 UYU 489

-17.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.87 UYU 116

77.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.75 UYU 110

-49.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.73 UYU 69.5

46.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.24 UYU 130

4.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.07 UYU 83.1

38.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.07 UYU 83.1

58.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-29.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-47.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 $4.07

$5.57 UYU 224

-26.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.21 $12.21

$8.89 UYU 357

37.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-4.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.70 UYU 109

5.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-77.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.66 $37.66

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-48.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 $6.04

$1.82 UYU 73.4

231.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.03 $3.03

$0.40 UYU 16.05

657.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.11 $20.11

$10.66 UYU 429

88.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-41.89%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-7.45%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-26.59%

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

$130 $130

$191 UYU 7,674

-31.63%

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

$21.57 $21.57

$20.40 UYU 820

5.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.03 $43.03

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-2.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 $31.99

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-40.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.57 $21.57

$19.68 UYU 791

9.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 $5.06

$12.33 UYU 496

-58.96%

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

$165 $165

$613 UYU 24.7K

-73.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,640 $4,640

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-58.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 $68.2

$103 UYU 4,134

-33.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.79 $46.79

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-16.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 $120

$124 UYU 5,000

-3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$130 UYU 5,214

-10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 $906

$705 UYU 28.4K

28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$755 $755

$575 UYU 23.1K

31.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 $1,343

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

32.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,813 $2,813

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-15.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 $1,845

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-5.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 $372

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-69.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

5.74

48.08%

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

Last update for San Salvador: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Salvador

$755 46.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 23.8% $180

Groceries & Markets

San Salvador

$287 17.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 16% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Salvador

$195 11.9%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 30.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

San Salvador

$158 9.7%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 17.4% $28

Eating Out

San Salvador

$142 8.7%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 90.4% $129

Getting Around

San Salvador

$60 3.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 38.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

San Salvador

$42 2.6%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 87.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $906 in San Salvador 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 230% 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 $45.00 in San Salvador versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $332 – making San Salvador the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇻 San Salvador

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

3 h ahead of San Salvador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,090 Capital

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Salvador Montevideo 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,499 per month in San Salvador 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 Salvador, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $165 per month in San Salvador and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Salvador, where all-in costs run around $1,666, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In San Salvador it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Salvador – 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 Salvador. 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.