Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uruguay and Argentina

Name: Argentina
Address: AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Argentina: $1,341 a month against $1,637 in Uruguay, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Uruguay
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Uruguay Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Argentina
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Argentina Living Index

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🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,637

/mo nomad

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Uruguay and in Argentina

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Uruguay and in Argentina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,637 in Uruguay versus $1,341 in Argentina.

Uruguay $1,637
Argentina $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Uruguay versus $2,176 in Argentina.

Uruguay $2,486
Argentina $2,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,335 in Uruguay versus $3,011 in Argentina.

Uruguay $3,335
Argentina $3,011

Internal cost variation is higher in Uruguay: monthly costs span $47.00 to $1,997, compared to $894–$1,657 in Argentina. City choice carries more weight in Uruguay.

Living in Uruguay is roughly 22% more expensive than in Argentina on average.

Uruguay (21% above) and Argentina (1% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.11 UYU 687

$14.53 ARS 22.0K

17.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 UYU 2,169

$54.3 ARS 82.4K

-0.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 UYU 496

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

-5.87%

Cappuccino

$4.29 UYU 172

$3.57 ARS 5,421

20.17%

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

$2.31 UYU 92.6

$2.09 ARS 3,179

10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 UYU 73.5

$1.64 ARS 2,487

11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 UYU 151

$3.61 ARS 5,476

4.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.94 ARS 5,984

-3.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 UYU 48.76

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-14.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 UYU 103

$2.31 ARS 3,512

10.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 UYU 66.8

$1.77 ARS 2,688

-6.21%

Eggs

$4.21 UYU 169

$2.68 ARS 4,062

57.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 UYU 521

$10.20 ARS 15.5K

27.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 UYU 424

$8.59 ARS 13.0K

23.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 UYU 457

$11.95 ARS 18.1K

-4.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 UYU 111

$2.54 ARS 3,849

8.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 UYU 103

$2.09 ARS 3,172

22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 UYU 62.2

$1.46 ARS 2,209

6.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 UYU 123

$2.46 ARS 3,732

24.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 UYU 73.1

$1.13 ARS 1,713

61.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.06 ARS 1,606

100.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 UYU 52.8

$1.51 ARS 2,296

-12.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 UYU 72.7

$1.65 ARS 2,497

9.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.45 UYU 219

$3.90 ARS 5,922

39.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 UYU 295

$4.97 ARS 7,539

48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 UYU 86.6

$1.87 ARS 2,836

15.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 UYU 112

$2.93 ARS 4,453

-4.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.03 ARS 1,556

33.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 UYU 3,051

$28.71 ARS 43.6K

164.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.2

$1.56 ARS 2,373

16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 UYU 67.1

$0.97 ARS 1,478

72.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.49 UYU 421

$7.75 ARS 11.8K

35.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.0

$1.27 ARS 1,926

66.93%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$24.7K ARS 37.5M

8.30%

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

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

16.49%

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

$150 UYU 6,028

$133 ARS 202.5K

12.54%

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

$20.75 UYU 833

$17.14 ARS 26.0K

21.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.71 UYU 1,634

$25.94 ARS 39.4K

56.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.61 UYU 1,871

$35.07 ARS 53.2K

32.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 UYU 770

$18.68 ARS 28.4K

2.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 UYU 446

$10.16 ARS 15.4K

9.35%

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

$575 UYU 23.1K

$331 ARS 502.9K

73.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,169 UYU 368.0K

$6,282 ARS 9.5M

45.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 UYU 3,431

$111 ARS 168.2K

-22.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.89 UYU 2,003

$85.2 ARS 129.3K

-41.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 UYU 4,820

$121 ARS 184.4K

-1.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 UYU 4,432

$120 ARS 182.2K

-8.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 UYU 26.6K

$553 ARS 839.1K

19.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 UYU 21.1K

$370 ARS 560.7K

42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 UYU 43.3K

$1,077 ARS 1.6M

0.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 UYU 34.9K

$807 ARS 1.2M

7.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,313 UYU 133.0K

$2,231 ARS 3.4M

48.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,807 UYU 72.5K

$1,418 ARS 2.2M

27.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 UYU 42.8K

$792 ARS 1.2M

34.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

58.21

-90.02%

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

Last update for Uruguay: October 18, 2026

Last update for Argentina: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uruguay

$526 32.1%

Argentina

$370 27.6% 29.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Uruguay

$306 18.7%

Argentina

$264 19.7% 13.5% $41

Eating Out

Uruguay

$268 16.4%

Argentina

$239 17.8% 10.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uruguay

$212 12.9%

Argentina

$177 13.2% 16.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Uruguay

$165 10.1%

Argentina

$197 14.7% 19.6% $32

Getting Around

Uruguay

$92 5.6%

Argentina

$39 2.9% 57.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Uruguay

$69 4.2%

Argentina

$55 4.1% 19.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $337 in Uruguay, $514 in Argentina. Capital cities: $713 in Montevideo vs $750 in Buenos Aires.

National salary averages: $864 in Uruguay, $796 in Argentina. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 53% higher in Argentina.

Dining out costs 15% more in Argentina.

Public transport is 225% more expensive in Uruguay.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Uruguay

🇦🇷 Argentina

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

Same time as Uruguay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,444,263

47,327,407

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Uruguay Argentina 210 km

From you

Uruguay
Argentina

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

Uruguay vs Argentina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,341 per month in Argentina and $1,637 in Uruguay, there's a 22% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Argentina is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In Argentina, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Uruguay it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Argentina wins on affordability; Uruguay may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.