Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarija and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarija: $440 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Tarija
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Tarija Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Tarija

🇧🇴 Bolivia

$440

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $440 per month in Tarija vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tarija $440
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $503 per month in Tarija vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tarija $503
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $566 per month in Tarija vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tarija $566
Montevideo $3,750

Tarija is about 76% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tarija sits 67% below the global median, while Montevideo is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 BOB 26.88

$15.26 UYU 613

-85.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.33 BOB 98.0

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-87.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 BOB 46.12

$14.37 UYU 578

-72.72%

Cappuccino

$1.43 BOB 16.89

$4.64 UYU 187

-69.18%

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

$1.03 BOB 12.10

$2.73 UYU 110

-62.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 BOB 8.47

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-65.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 BOB 16.10

$4.75 UYU 191

-71.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BOB 20.78

$3.67 UYU 147

-51.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.48 BOB 5.65

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-65.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BOB 9.49

$2.77 UYU 112

-70.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.56 BOB 6.65

$1.69 UYU 67.8

-66.86%

Eggs

$1.67 BOB 19.65

$4.52 UYU 182

-63.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.33 BOB 39.17

$14.17 UYU 570

-76.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 BOB 32.87

$12.07 UYU 485

-76.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.05 BOB 47.61

$12.16 UYU 489

-66.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 BOB 12.99

$2.75 UYU 110

-60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.26 BOB 3.04

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-81.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 BOB 9.49

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-56.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$2.31 BOB 27.20

$8.89 UYU 357

-74.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 BOB 14.52

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-46.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 BOB 11.07

$2.70 UYU 109

-65.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 BOB 2.15

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-88.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 BOB 5.49

$1.82 UYU 73.4

-74.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 BOB 6.65

$0.40 UYU 16.05

42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 BOB 38.41

$10.66 UYU 429

-69.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 BOB 7.13

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-72.52%

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

$12.1K BOB 142.6K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-54.70%

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

$16.2K BOB 190.6K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-55.94%

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

$22.49 BOB 265

$191 UYU 7,674

-88.22%

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

$18.96 BOB 223

$20.40 UYU 820

-7.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.02 BOB 259

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-50.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.93 BOB 258

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-59.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$4.15 BOB 48.90

$12.33 UYU 496

-66.34%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.55 BOB 324

$103 UYU 4,134

-73.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.98 BOB 376

$124 UYU 5,000

-74.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 BOB 2,528

$705 UYU 28.4K

-69.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 BOB 1,921

$575 UYU 23.1K

-71.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

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

Last update for Tarija: 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

Tarija

$163 37.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 253% $412

Groceries & Markets

Tarija

$88 * 20%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 278% $245

Eating Out

Tarija

$65 14.7%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 320% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarija

$63 14.4%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 302% $192

Sport & Entertainment

Tarija

$30 6.9%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 161% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Tarija

$27 * 6.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 594% $159

Getting Around

Tarija

$4 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 1979% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Tarija 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Tarija versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $88.0 vs $332 – making Tarija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇴 Tarija

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

04:10 4:10 AM

1 h ahead of Tarija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,241

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Bolivian Boliviano BOB Bs.

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 BOB = 8.5 USD

100 BOB = 7.58 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to BOB – Bolivian Boliviano Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇴 Bolivian Boliviano (Bs.)

Bolivian Boliviano exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.77 BOB (100 BOB = 8.5 USD). 1 EUR = 13.2 BOB (100 BOB = 7.58 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).

USD to BOB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tarija Montevideo 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tarija
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

Tarija vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 312%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $660 per month in Tarija 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 Tarija, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 278% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Tarija and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tarija, where all-in costs run around $440, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Tarija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tarija – 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 Tarija. 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.