Cost of Living in Montevideo

Summary of cost of living in Montevideo, Uruguay:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 550.00 $U 280.00-980.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 2,000.00 $U 1,500.00-3,000.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 400.00 $U 350.00-500.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 140.00 $U 90.00-240.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 150.00 $U 100.00-210.00
Cappuccino (regular) 160.65 $U 85.00-220.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 84.81 $U 50.00-130.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 63.88 $U 40.00-110.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 169.35 $U 147.63-230.91
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 104.12 $U 63.50-163.29
Rice (white), (1 lb) 27.52 $U 18.14-33.57
Eggs (regular) (12) 176.59 $U 108.00-240.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 213.17 $U 102.51-317.52
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 173.89 $U 85.73-240.40
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 184.96 $U 113.40-317.52
Apples (1 lb) 41.16 $U 20.41-59.87
Banana (1 lb) 44.68 $U 27.22-68.04
Oranges (1 lb) 27.78 $U 13.61-50.80
Tomato (1 lb) 51.90 $U 26.76-86.18
Potato (1 lb) 33.00 $U 22.23-41.73
Onion (1 lb) 31.28 $U 18.14-40.82
Lettuce (1 head) 49.62 $U 30.00-74.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 66.82 $U 50.00-85.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 300.00 $U 190.00-450.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 92.39 $U 70.00-150.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 128.35 $U 80.00-186.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 200.00 $U 200.00-250.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 52.00 $U 42.00-56.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 1,800.00 $U 1,250.00-2,400.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 65.00 $U 50.00-100.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 160.93 $U 104.61-291.29
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 450.00 $U 450.00-550.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 288.76 $U 264.98-302.83
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 1,549,308.00 $U 1,350,000.00-1,600,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 1,463,143.98 $U 1,330,000.00-1,600,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 5,609.41 $U 3,500.00-9,000.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 645.33 $U 400.00-1,222.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 1,669.36 $U 1,300.00-2,500.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 2,342.72 $U 1,200.00-4,000.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 905.10 $U 500.00-1,000.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 415.00 $U 300.00-500.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 15,083.33 $U 10,000.00-20,000.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 325,857.14 $U 280,000.00-420,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 3,930.00 $U 2,500.00-5,000.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 1,739.81 $U 700.00-2,700.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 4,453.79 $U 2,500.00-5,500.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 4,617.58 $U 3,000.00-6,000.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 23,363.64 $U 20,000.00-30,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 17,763.70 $U 15,000.00-25,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 37,842.11 $U 30,000.00-55,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 31,944.83 $U 25,000.00-59,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 9,025.85 $U 7,125.62-11,461.70
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 7,499.16 $U 4,645.11-10,688.43
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 49,787.29 $U
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.54 4.20-10.00

Prices in Montevideo

This city had 1375 entries in the past 12 months by 103 different contributors.
Last update: April 2024
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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8 Comments so far
Anonymous on Feb 19, 2023:
Montevideo is a distribution center for marijuana since it's a legal cash cow for the government.
The reason why prices are so high in Uruguay overall is due to many multi millionaires living there mainly from the UK who controls everything and of course Uruguay government looking the other way.
Anonymous on Jan 26, 2022:
The prices here are quite real, but you should consider the maximum indicated prices. Overall Uruguay is not just expensive per se, Uruguay is very overpriced. The value for money is low or very low. Bad quality products or services for cheeky prices.
jorge on Oct 18, 2021:
no idea what the people here mean, 20k for a 1 bedroom in the city centre is easy to find. For a 2 or 3 bedroom in Pocitos there are also many options for around 30-40k.
GetReal on Sep 18, 2021:
@Milo: For some reason Numbeo shows unrealistic prices for apartments all over world, especially in big cities, it's not only Montevideo. I guess prices are taken as an average where many of them are lucky enough paying rents at the price level of early 1990s. On top of this there are huge shortage of apartments, big competition in renting them hence the price needz to be constantly adjusted, which I guess its more difficult that it seems.
Milo on Jul 26, 2021:
I posted here on May 5th, 2018. I came back today as this site popped up in a conversation with a colleague. I still live in Montevideo.

I will say this again, in hopes it may help anyone coming down here on a budget, the prices on this site are ridiculously low. I have no idea where these people are going to restaurants and paying under a dollar for soda. Not even at a grocery store are the prices so low.

Whoever is spending just $15,000 on rent for a one bedroom in a central neghborhood, please hit me up because I need your landlord's contact information. There is nothing under 21k in any of the local classifieds or rental sites; not even in the less nice parts of central neighborhoods. Not going to ask the guy paying 27k for a three bedroom apartment, because frankly that seems like witchcraft and I want nothing to do with whatever dark magic is keeping their rent stuck in 1991 prices.

Joking aside, please budget for at least twice as much as what you see here. This is a nice country with nice people and a very relaxed way of life, but it is expensive. After living here I've found my home state of TX to feel cheap in comparison. If you come here expecting to pay these prices you will be absolutely disillusioned and I wouldn't want that for anyone.
Anthony F Buono on Apr 07, 2021:
I was seriously considering Uruguay as a possible retirement destination; that is, until I read the comments below. If you only watched YouTube videos about this country, you might believe it was paradise. Apparently, it is far more sinister a place than one would believe. The crime factor is a major issue. I am 71 and am not willing to live in a place where my personal safety is questionable. I will continue to look for safer and more welcoming destinations. Thank you to the brave authors of the posts below for telling the truth.
Anonymous on Mar 25, 2021:
Brazil and Argentina sandwich Uruguay. With the 3rd wave of covid19 there they won't last long.
Anonymous on Jan 08, 2021:
We were thinking about visiting Montevideo but after reading many negative reviews on other vacation spots including on here we changed our plans.