Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo Este and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $643 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo Este
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Santo Domingo Este Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Santo Domingo Este vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santo Domingo Este $643
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,043 per month in Santo Domingo Este vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santo Domingo Este $1,043
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in Santo Domingo Este vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Santo Domingo Este $1,442
Montevideo $3,708

Santo Domingo Este is about 64% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santo Domingo Este sits 52% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 DOP 310

$15.16 UYU 609

-66.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.96 DOP 2,509

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-40.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 DOP 399

$14.65 UYU 588

-55.56%

Cappuccino

$1.00 DOP 61.3

$4.46 UYU 179

-77.58%

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

$1.04 DOP 63.8

$2.67 UYU 107

-61.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 DOP 36.58

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 DOP 147

$4.83 UYU 194

-50.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 DOP 193

$3.80 UYU 152

-17.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 DOP 81.9

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-1.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 DOP 90.0

$2.87 UYU 115

-48.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 DOP 97.5

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-9.14%

Eggs

$2.29 DOP 141

$4.68 UYU 188

-51.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 DOP 441

$13.88 UYU 557

-48.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 DOP 348

$11.98 UYU 481

-52.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 DOP 411

$11.97 UYU 480

-44.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 DOP 189

$2.78 UYU 111

10.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 DOP 51.4

$2.74 UYU 110

-69.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 DOP 167

$1.77 UYU 71.2

53.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 DOP 115

$3.24 UYU 130

-42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 DOP 121

$1.97 UYU 79.2

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 DOP 137

$2.07 UYU 83.1

7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 DOP 62.7

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-25.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 DOP 58.3

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-49.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 DOP 328

$5.59 UYU 224

-4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 DOP 635

$8.78 UYU 352

18.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 DOP 159

$2.26 UYU 90.9

15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 DOP 182

$2.75 UYU 110

7.64%

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)

$3.28 DOP 201

$1.91 UYU 76.7

71.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 DOP 135

$0.40 UYU 16.18

450.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 DOP 346

$10.33 UYU 415

-45.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 DOP 79.3

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-39.44%

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

$22.9K DOP 1.4M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-15.60%

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

$33.8K DOP 2.1M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-6.76%

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

$93.6 DOP 5,735

$188 UYU 7,557

-50.28%

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

$32.04 DOP 1,963

$20.54 UYU 824

55.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.97 DOP 2,204

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-19.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 DOP 459

$11.95 UYU 480

-37.32%

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

$251 DOP 15.4K

$634 UYU 25.5K

-60.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,405 DOP 453.6K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-33.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.98 DOP 2,817

$102 UYU 4,099

-54.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 DOP 2,787

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-20.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 DOP 5,356

$127 UYU 5,079

-30.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 DOP 7,425

$128 UYU 5,131

-5.19%

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)

$593 DOP 36.3K

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

-52.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

5.74

136.24%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo Este

$220 34.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 50.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo Este

$162 25.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 56.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo Este

$135 21%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 38% $51

Eating Out

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 178% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo Este

$15 * 2.3%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 420% $63

Getting Around

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 490% $70

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 110% 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 $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $332 – making Santo Domingo Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h ahead of Santo Domingo Este

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,230

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santo Domingo Este Montevideo 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo Este
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

Santo Domingo Este vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 175%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $964 per month in Santo Domingo Este 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 $41.00 in Santo Domingo Este and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santo Domingo Este, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santo Domingo Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santo Domingo Este – 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 Santo Domingo Este. 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.