Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,131
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $1,824 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,824
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $2,517 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $2,517
Montevideo $3,728

Zihuatanejo is about 37% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zihuatanejo sits 17% below the global median, while Montevideo is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$14.82 UYU 594

-26.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 MX$827

$69.7 UYU 2,794

-36.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$164

$14.68 UYU 589

-40.46%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.2

$4.65 UYU 186

-25.16%

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

$1.36 MX$25.45

$2.74 UYU 110

-50.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.08

$2.07 UYU 82.8

-50.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.89

$4.79 UYU 192

-48.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$74.4

$3.63 UYU 145

9.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.05

$1.39 UYU 55.7

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.69

$2.89 UYU 116

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.90

$1.70 UYU 68.0

-2.94%

Eggs

$2.44 MX$45.61

$4.62 UYU 185

-47.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MX$152

$14.22 UYU 570

-42.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$159

$11.62 UYU 466

-26.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 MX$216

$12.23 UYU 490

-5.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$2.77 UYU 111

-1.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$2.85 UYU 114

-45.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.81 UYU 72.4

7.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.10

$3.20 UYU 128

-44.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.24

$1.94 UYU 77.7

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.15

$2.16 UYU 86.4

-12.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$1.43 UYU 57.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.47

$1.94 UYU 77.8

-43.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$80.1

$5.47 UYU 219

-21.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$8.95 UYU 359

14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$34.04

$2.26 UYU 90.7

-19.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$2.81 UYU 113

8.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.77

$1.56 UYU 62.6

-56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,959

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.93

$1.90 UYU 76.1

37.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$0.43 UYU 17.34

369.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 MX$209

$10.59 UYU 425

5.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.93

$2.12 UYU 85.1

-32.08%

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

$21.3K MX$398.4K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-20.55%

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

$23.9K MX$447.0K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-35.45%

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

$57.3 MX$1,072

$193 UYU 7,717

-70.26%

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

$23.00 MX$431

$20.91 UYU 838

10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 MX$558

$44.89 UYU 1,799

-33.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$651

$50.8 UYU 2,035

-31.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 MX$375

$19.73 UYU 791

1.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.2

$12.30 UYU 493

-58.21%

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

$216 MX$4,041

$629 UYU 25.2K

-65.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,526 MX$84.7K

$10.9K UYU 436.7K

-58.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,038

$104 UYU 4,160

-46.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 MX$753

$57.4 UYU 2,302

-29.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,844

$125 UYU 5,003

-21.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,684

$132 UYU 5,308

-32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.1K

$713 UYU 28.6K

-16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,182

$575 UYU 23.1K

-33.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MX$19.7K

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

-9.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 MX$14.2K

$1,033 UYU 41.4K

-26.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 MX$35.8K

$3,418 UYU 137.0K

-43.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$1,760 UYU 70.5K

-34.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.74

96.86%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$384 34%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 50% $192

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 26.5% $70

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 45.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 47.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 135% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$45 4%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 67.4% $30

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 444% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $596 in Zihuatanejo versus $713 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 $44 in Zihuatanejo versus $70 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $334 – making Zihuatanejo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

07:02 7:02 AM

3 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 40.08 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.97 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zihuatanejo Montevideo 7,550 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
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

Zihuatanejo vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,696 per month in Zihuatanejo and $2,676 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $713 in Montevideo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Zihuatanejo and $70 in Montevideo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zihuatanejo, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Zihuatanejo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zihuatanejo – 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.