Montevideo at a glance
- Montevideo ranks 2nd of 3 priced cities in Uruguay on cost: $1,436 a month in essentials, 8% above Colonia del Sacramento, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $1,275 covers that 0.9×.
- 98.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at department level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.6 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 3 Uruguay cities we track, so every row says whether Montevideo is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,436 | $1,436 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $583 | $583 | same |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $744 | $744 | same |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $203 | $190 | $13 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $316 | $316 | same |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $259 | $163 | 1.59× as much |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $75 | $50 | 1.50× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,275 | ||
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $979 | $988 | $9 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,212 | $1,212 | same |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Montevideo, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.94 | $14.94 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $61.00 | $61.00 | same |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $14.69 | $12.43 | $2.26 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $4.56 | $4.56 | same |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $4.92 | $3.99 | $0.93 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.73 | $3.73 | same |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $2.74 | $2.47 | $0.27 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $2.01 | $2.01 | same |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.39 | $1.16 | $0.23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $3.20 | $2.73 | $0.47 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.85 | $1.71 | $0.14 |
| Eggs, 12 | $5.06 | $4.28 | $0.78 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $14.86 | $12.11 | $2.75 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $11.91 | $11.91 | same |
| Apples, 1 kg | $3.07 | $3.03 | $0.04 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $2.91 | $2.91 | same |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.11 | $3.11 | same |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $2.26 | $2.08 | $0.18 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $2.28 | $2.05 | $0.23 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.82 | $1.82 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.52 | $1.39 | $0.13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $74.70 | ||
| Taxi start | $1.87 | $1.86 | $0.01 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.35 | $0.35 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $2.13 | $2.13 | same |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $213.84 | $124.33 | 1.72× as much |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $45.18 | $45.12 | $0.06 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $19.53 | $19.50 | $0.03 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $49.32 | $49.32 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $12.20 | $12.18 | $0.02 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Montevideo has 98.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (department level). That is the lowest of the 6 Uruguay cities we track. Uruguay's national figure is 103.4, so Montevideo runs 5 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Montevideo ranks against every city we track
Montevideo sits ahead of 78% of the 898 cities we track on clean air. On women aged 20–39 it is ahead of 61% of 892. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 17% of 562.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Montevideo sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Eduardo Ruggieri, CC BY-SA 3.0.
