Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe, NM and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,916 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santa Fe, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

142

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,916

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,916 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $2,916
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,885 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $3,885
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,854 per month in Santa Fe, NM vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Fe, NM $4,854
Montevideo $3,750

Santa Fe, NM costs about 61% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Fe, NM and Montevideo sit above the global median – Santa Fe, NM by 118%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 $16.87

$15.26 UYU 613

10.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 $69.1

$67.4 UYU 2,711

2.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 $10.05

$14.37 UYU 578

-30.06%

Cappuccino

$4.91 $4.91

$4.64 UYU 187

5.82%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$2.73 UYU 110

7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.09 UYU 84.0

11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$4.75 UYU 191

24.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$3.67 UYU 147

88.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.77 UYU 112

17.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.69 UYU 67.8

160.36%

Eggs

$4.31 $4.31

$4.52 UYU 182

-4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 $11.88

$14.17 UYU 570

-16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 $9.42

$12.07 UYU 485

-21.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 $16.87

$12.16 UYU 489

38.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.87 UYU 116

65.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.75 UYU 110

-46.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.73 UYU 69.5

128.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$3.24 UYU 130

31.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.07 UYU 83.1

49.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.38 UYU 55.4

41.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.85 UYU 74.5

38.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.37 $10.37

$5.57 UYU 224

86.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 $15.89

$8.89 UYU 357

78.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.70 UYU 109

35.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.82 UYU 73.4

94.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.40 UYU 16.05

407.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.54 $32.54

$10.66 UYU 429

205.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-56.76%

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

$31.0K $31.0K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

15.84%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-32.60%

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

$158 $158

$191 UYU 7,674

-17.27%

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

$44.76 $44.76

$20.40 UYU 820

119.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.8 $73.8

$44.14 UYU 1,775

67.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.9 $87.9

$54.1 UYU 2,177

62.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 $13.17

$12.33 UYU 496

6.81%

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

$1,326 $1,326

$613 UYU 24.7K

116.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

37.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$103 UYU 4,134

-46.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 $43.46

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-22.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 $78.9

$124 UYU 5,000

-36.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$130 UYU 5,214

-7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,307 $2,307

$705 UYU 28.4K

227.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 $1,700

$575 UYU 23.1K

195.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,584 $3,584

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

214.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

120.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,631 $6,631

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

98.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,202 $4,202

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

116.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,757 $3,757

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

205.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.74

14.46%

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

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: 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

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 58.5%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 66.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 12.7% $48

Eating Out

Santa Fe, NM

$289 9.9%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe, NM

$276 9.5%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 7.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe, NM

$134 4.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 38.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe, NM

$114 3.9%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 31% $35

Getting Around

Santa Fe, NM

$14 * 0.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 510% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,307 in Santa Fe, NM 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 206% higher in Santa Fe, NM, 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 $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

00:43 12:43 AM

3 h ahead of Santa Fe, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,505

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Fe, NM Montevideo 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Fe, NM
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 Fe, NM vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Fe, NM is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,375 per month in Santa Fe, NM 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 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 $69.0 in Santa Fe, NM and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Santa Fe, NM, 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 $1,813, than in Santa Fe, NM at $2,916. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Fe, NM 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, Santa Fe, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.