Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz and Montevideo

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Cruz and in Montevideo: $1,758 and $1,771 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,758 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,758
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,778
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $3,798 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,798
Montevideo $3,708

Santa Cruz is about 1% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Cruz and Montevideo sit above the global median – Santa Cruz by 30%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 ₡5,523

$15.16 UYU 610

-18.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$69.2 UYU 2,780

-9.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 ₡4,856

$14.65 UYU 589

-26.21%

Cappuccino

$4.58 ₡2,059

$4.46 UYU 179

2.69%

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

$2.20 ₡989

$2.67 UYU 107

-17.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡854

$2.00 UYU 80.5

-5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 ₡1,489

$4.83 UYU 194

-31.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,958

$3.80 UYU 153

14.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,070

$1.36 UYU 54.9

75.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,422

$2.87 UYU 115

10.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 ₡1,113

$1.75 UYU 70.3

41.71%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,599

$4.68 UYU 188

-23.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 ₡4,717

$13.88 UYU 558

-24.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,722

$11.98 UYU 482

-12.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.15 ₡6,359

$11.97 UYU 481

18.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,336

$2.78 UYU 112

87.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₡482

$2.74 UYU 110

-60.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 ₡2,170

$1.77 UYU 71.3

172.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,758

$3.24 UYU 130

20.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$1.97 UYU 79.3

96.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.64 ₡1,636

$2.07 UYU 83.2

75.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.37 UYU 55.2

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,383

$1.88 UYU 75.4

63.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,596

$5.59 UYU 225

3.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.18 ₡9,068

$8.78 UYU 353

129.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,294

$2.26 UYU 91.0

27.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ₡1,654

$2.75 UYU 111

33.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡581

$1.53 UYU 61.6

-15.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,125

$1.91 UYU 76.8

30.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.40 UYU 16.21

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.60 ₡3,864

$10.33 UYU 415

-16.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$2.13 UYU 85.7

-26.76%

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

$22.1K ₡9.9M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-18.62%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-4.82%

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

$94.5 ₡42.4K

$188 UYU 7,570

-49.83%

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

$35.98 ₡16.2K

$20.54 UYU 826

75.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 ₡26.9K

$44.81 UYU 1,801

33.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 ₡32.2K

$54.0 UYU 2,169

32.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 ₡3,034

$11.95 UYU 481

-43.51%

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

$978 ₡439.3K

$634 UYU 25.5K

54.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

55.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ₡32.4K

$102 UYU 4,106

-29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$57.5 UYU 2,313

-2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$127 UYU 5,088

2.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.1K

$128 UYU 5,139

2.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 ₡409.8K

$719 UYU 28.9K

26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 ₡298.7K

$568 UYU 22.8K

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 ₡759.1K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

47.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,310 ₡588.5K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

27.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.74

50.17%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: 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

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 14.6% $97

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 17.1% $68

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 18.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 33.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$175 10%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 6.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 8.6% $7.3

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 445% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $912 in Santa Cruz 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Santa Cruz versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Santa Cruz vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:23 4:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

3 h ahead of Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Montevideo 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz
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

Santa Cruz vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,637 per month in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, 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 $63.0 in Santa Cruz and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,758, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Cruz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz – 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 Santa Cruz. 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.