Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vega Alta and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $1,948 in Vega Alta, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vega Alta outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Vega Alta
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Vega Alta Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Vega Alta

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,948

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,948 per month in Vega Alta vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Vega Alta $1,948
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $2,773 per month in Vega Alta vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Vega Alta $2,773
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $3,598 per month in Vega Alta vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Vega Alta $3,598
Montevideo $3,708

Vega Alta costs about 10% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vega Alta and Montevideo sit above the global median – Vega Alta by 44%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.50 $19.50

$15.16 UYU 609

28.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$69.2 UYU 2,776

19.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 $8.93

$14.65 UYU 588

-39.04%

Cappuccino

$3.69 $3.69

$4.46 UYU 179

-17.26%

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

$1.82 $1.82

$2.67 UYU 107

-31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.83 UYU 194

-39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.80 UYU 152

32.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.36 UYU 54.8

56.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.87 UYU 115

23.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.75 UYU 70.2

32.57%

Eggs

$7.19 $7.19

$4.68 UYU 188

53.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$13.88 UYU 557

-9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.82 $9.82

$11.98 UYU 481

-18.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.57 $13.57

$11.97 UYU 480

13.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.78 UYU 111

84.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.74 UYU 110

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.77 UYU 71.2

167.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.24 UYU 130

47.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.97 UYU 79.2

92.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.07 UYU 83.1

87.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.37 UYU 55.1

153.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-15.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.82 $11.82

$5.59 UYU 224

111.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 $15.40

$8.78 UYU 352

75.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.26 UYU 90.9

38.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.75 UYU 110

48.00%

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)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.91 UYU 76.7

34.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.40 UYU 16.18

277.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.70 $41.70

$10.33 UYU 415

303.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-41.78%

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

$39.5K $39.5K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

45.54%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-24.02%

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

$317 $317

$188 UYU 7,557

68.45%

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

$69.3 $69.3

$20.54 UYU 824

237.29%

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

$10.52 $10.52

$11.95 UYU 480

-11.97%

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

$811 $811

$634 UYU 25.5K

27.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

14.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.2 $61.2

$57.5 UYU 2,309

6.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$127 UYU 5,079

-13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$128 UYU 5,131

-11.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 $404

$719 UYU 28.8K

-43.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 $629

$568 UYU 22.8K

10.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-22.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 $751

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-26.60%

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 Vega Alta: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vega Alta

$629 32.3%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 9.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vega Alta

$455 23.4%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 44.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Vega Alta

$414 21.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 19.8% $82

Eating Out

Vega Alta

$265 13.6%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 1.6% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Vega Alta

$153 7.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Vega Alta

$21 * 1.1%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 270% $57

Getting Around

Vega Alta

$10 * 0.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 732% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Vega Alta 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 $83.0 in Vega Alta versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Vega Alta

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

17:00 5:00 PM

1 h ahead of Vega Alta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,000

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vega Alta Montevideo 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Vega Alta
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

Vega Alta vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vega Alta is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in Vega Alta 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 Montevideo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Vega Alta 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 25% more in Vega Alta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Vega Alta at $1,948. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vega Alta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – 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 Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vega Alta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.