Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vega Baja and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Vega Baja: $1,190 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Vega Baja
Learn more

Vega Baja Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Vega Baja

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,190

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Vega Baja vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Vega Baja $1,190
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,860 per month in Vega Baja vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Vega Baja $1,860
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,530 per month in Vega Baja vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Vega Baja $2,530
Montevideo $3,708

Vega Baja is about 33% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vega Baja sits 12% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$15.16 UYU 609

24.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.87 $49.87

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-27.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 $9.33

$14.65 UYU 588

-36.31%

Cappuccino

$3.61 $3.61

$4.46 UYU 179

-19.06%

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

$1.84 $1.84

$2.67 UYU 107

-31.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-27.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.83 UYU 194

-39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$3.80 UYU 152

-36.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.36 UYU 54.8

17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$2.87 UYU 115

24.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.75 UYU 70.2

37.71%

Eggs

$6.93 $6.93

$4.68 UYU 188

48.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$13.88 UYU 557

-9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$11.98 UYU 481

-18.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 $13.20

$11.97 UYU 480

10.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.78 UYU 111

79.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.74 UYU 110

-3.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$1.77 UYU 71.2

178.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.24 UYU 130

47.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.97 UYU 79.2

90.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$2.07 UYU 83.1

89.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.37 UYU 55.1

148.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$5.59 UYU 224

115.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 $15.76

$8.78 UYU 352

79.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.26 UYU 90.9

34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.75 UYU 110

49.09%

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)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.91 UYU 76.7

32.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.40 UYU 16.18

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.32 $42.32

$10.33 UYU 415

309.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-63.38%

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

$40.0K $40.0K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

47.49%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-24.32%

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

$226 $226

$188 UYU 7,557

20.11%

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

$68.0 $68.0

$20.54 UYU 824

231.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 $49.32

$44.81 UYU 1,798

10.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$10.69 $10.69

$11.95 UYU 480

-10.54%

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

$827 $827

$634 UYU 25.5K

30.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

11.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 $56.3

$102 UYU 4,099

-44.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.0 $62.0

$57.5 UYU 2,309

7.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$127 UYU 5,079

-14.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$128 UYU 5,131

-10.22%

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)

$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 Baja: 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

Vega Baja

$407 34.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 18.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vega Baja

$344 28.9%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 26.2% $90

Eating Out

Vega Baja

$255 21.4%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 5.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Vega Baja

$154 12.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 21.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Vega Baja

$21 * 1.8%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 264% $56

Getting Around

Vega Baja

$10 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 734% $74

Accommodation & Living

Vega Baja

- * 0%

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Vega Baja versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $407 in Vega Baja vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Vega Baja

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

1 h ahead of Vega Baja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,415

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vega Baja Montevideo 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Vega Baja 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 $50.0 in Vega Baja and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Montevideo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vega Baja, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Vega Baja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vega Baja – 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 Vega Baja. 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.