Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Isabel and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,300 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,300

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,300 per month in Santa Isabel vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Isabel $1,300
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Santa Isabel vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,047
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,793 per month in Santa Isabel vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santa Isabel $2,793
Montevideo $3,708

Santa Isabel is about 27% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Santa Isabel sits 4% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$15.16 UYU 609

24.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 $83.3

$69.2 UYU 2,776

20.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$14.65 UYU 588

-38.91%

Cappuccino

$3.55 $3.55

$4.46 UYU 179

-20.40%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$2.67 UYU 107

-28.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 $2.96

$4.83 UYU 194

-38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.80 UYU 152

33.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.87 UYU 115

18.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.75 UYU 70.2

32.00%

Eggs

$6.33 $6.33

$4.68 UYU 188

35.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$13.88 UYU 557

-9.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 $9.52

$11.98 UYU 481

-20.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$11.97 UYU 480

9.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.78 UYU 111

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.74 UYU 110

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.77 UYU 71.2

172.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.24 UYU 130

52.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.97 UYU 79.2

89.34%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.07 UYU 83.1

95.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.37 UYU 55.1

158.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-11.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$5.59 UYU 224

114.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 $15.63

$8.78 UYU 352

78.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.26 UYU 90.9

31.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.75 UYU 110

44.73%

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)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.91 UYU 76.7

27.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$0.40 UYU 16.18

65.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.77 $40.77

$10.33 UYU 415

294.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-50.70%

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

$39.5K $39.5K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

45.60%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-22.23%

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

$326 $326

$188 UYU 7,557

73.24%

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

$68.8 $68.8

$20.54 UYU 824

234.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$44.81 UYU 1,798

53.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 $10.32

$11.95 UYU 480

-13.64%

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

$830 $830

$634 UYU 25.5K

30.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

13.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$57.5 UYU 2,309

6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$127 UYU 5,079

-13.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$128 UYU 5,131

-11.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.74

14.11%

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

Last update for Santa Isabel: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Isabel

$464 35.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 45.3% $210

Groceries & Markets

Santa Isabel

$399 30.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 16.8% $67

Eating Out

Santa Isabel

$259 19.9%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 4.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 21.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 278% $57

Getting Around

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 1366% $79

Accommodation & Living

Santa Isabel

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Santa Isabel versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

1 h ahead of Santa Isabel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,000

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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

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Between locations

Santa Isabel Montevideo 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,951 per month in Santa Isabel and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Santa Isabel 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 20% 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 Santa Isabel, where all-in costs run around $1,300, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Isabel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Isabel – 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 Isabel. 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.