Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcán and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulcán: $842 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tulcán
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Tulcán Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Tulcán

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$842

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $842 per month in Tulcán vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tulcán $842
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,430 per month in Tulcán vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tulcán $1,430
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,018 per month in Tulcán vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tulcán $2,018
Montevideo $3,708

Tulcán is about 52% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tulcán sits 38% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 $6.12

$15.16 UYU 609

-59.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 $55.1

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-20.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 $7.63

$14.65 UYU 588

-47.92%

Cappuccino

$3.34 $3.34

$4.46 UYU 179

-25.11%

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

$1.38 $1.38

$2.67 UYU 107

-48.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-45.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.54 $3.54

$4.83 UYU 194

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.80 UYU 152

57.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.87 UYU 115

-46.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.10 $2.10

$4.68 UYU 188

-55.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.50 $6.50

$13.88 UYU 557

-53.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$11.98 UYU 481

-52.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.79 $7.79

$11.97 UYU 480

-34.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.78 UYU 111

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$2.74 UYU 110

-56.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.77 UYU 71.2

-27.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.24 UYU 130

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-40.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-50.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-37.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-43.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 $6.02

$5.59 UYU 224

7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 $10.12

$8.78 UYU 352

15.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.75 UYU 110

10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 $0.32

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-79.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.15 $19.15

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-74.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-23.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.40 UYU 16.18

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.20 $10.20

$10.33 UYU 415

-1.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-61.03%

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

$21.4K $21.4K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-21.24%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-21.55%

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

$28.71 $28.71

$188 UYU 7,557

-84.75%

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

$18.06 $18.06

$20.54 UYU 824

-12.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.53 $28.53

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-36.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 $34.37

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.79 $17.79

$19.75 UYU 793

-9.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 $6.55

$11.95 UYU 480

-45.19%

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

$229 $229

$634 UYU 25.5K

-63.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,086 $9,086

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-17.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 $70.4

$102 UYU 4,099

-31.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.99 $48.99

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-14.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$127 UYU 5,079

-9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$128 UYU 5,131

-16.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 $343

$719 UYU 28.8K

-52.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 $187

$568 UYU 22.8K

-67.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$829 $829

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-27.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 $394

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-61.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,153 $1,153

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-66.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$813 $813

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-58.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.74

76.31%

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

Last update for Tulcán: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tulcán

$198 23.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 67.6% $134

Accommodation & Living

Tulcán

$187 22.2%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 204% $381

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcán

$154 18.3%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 21.3% $33

Eating Out

Tulcán

$151 18%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 77.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcán

$75 8.9%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 237% $178

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcán

$47 5.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 64.1% $30

Getting Around

Tulcán

$29 3.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 186% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Tulcán 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 $55.0 in Tulcán versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $332 – making Tulcán the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Tulcán

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

01:07 1:07 AM

2 h ahead of Tulcán

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,734

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulcán Montevideo 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulcán
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

Tulcán vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,263 per month in Tulcán 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 Tulcán, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Tulcán and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tulcán, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Tulcán it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tulcán – 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 Tulcán. 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.