Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around โ Montevideo 2 vs Puerto Natales 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Montevideo | Puerto Natales | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | $U 600$15 | CLP$ 14,000$14.7 | similar |
| Street food1 item | $U 150$3.75 | CLP$ 4,000$4.21 | Montevideo โ11% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | $U 1,000$25 | CLP$ 30,000$31.6 | Montevideo โ21% |
| Coffeeone cup | $U 220$5.5 | CLP$ 4,500$4.74 | Puerto Natales โ14% |
| Beerone bottle | $U 180$4.5 | CLP$ 5,000$5.26 | Montevideo โ15% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | $U 350$8.75 | CLP$ 7,000$7.37 | Puerto Natales โ16% |
| Bottled water | $U 50$1.25 | CLP$ 1,000$1.05 | Puerto Natales โ16% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | $U 100$2.5 | CLP$ 1,500$1.58 | Puerto Natales โ37% |
| Taxi5 km in town | $U 420$10.5 | CLP$ 6,000$6.32 | Puerto Natales โ40% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | $U 200$5 | CLP$ 3,500$3.68 | Puerto Natales โ26% |
| Transitone ride | $U 52$1.3 | CLP$ 800$0.84 | Puerto Natales โ35% |
| Scooter rentalper day | $U 600$15 | CLP$ 15,000$15.8 | Montevideo โ5% |
| Hotel night3-star | $U 3,400$85 | CLP$ 100,000$105 | Montevideo โ19% |
| Studio rent (month) | $U 26,000$650 | CLP$ 450,000$474 | Puerto Natales โ27% |
| Laundry | $U 350$8.75 | CLP$ 3,000$3.16 | Puerto Natales โ64% |
| SIM card1 week data | $U 600$15 | CLP$ 8,000$8.42 | Puerto Natales โ44% |
| Haircutcut | $U 450$11.2 | CLP$ 12,000$12.6 | Montevideo โ11% |
| Massage1 hour | $U 1,600$40 | CLP$ 40,000$42.1 | Montevideo โ5% |
| Half-day tourper person | $U 2,500$62.5 | CLP$ 97,000$102 | Montevideo โ39% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | $U 400$10 | CLP$ 32,000$33.7 | Montevideo โ70% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Montevideo and Puerto Natales cost about the same. Daily budget $192 vs $209; a month $3,217 vs $2,904.
About the same: Montevideo 2.4/5, Puerto Natales 2.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Montevideo is about $3,217 and Puerto Natales about $2,904 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.