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Montevideo vs San José cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🇨🇷 San José
At a glance
- Where San José is clearly cheaper: Laundry (63%↓), Local meal (27%↓), Taxi (27%↓)
- Where Montevideo is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (35%↓), Scooter rental (31%↓), Restaurant dinner (24%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Montevideo is easier to travel (2.4 vs 2.6). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Montevideo 2 vs San José 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Montevideo | San José | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | $U 600$15 | ₡ 5,000$10.9 | San José −27% |
| Street food1 item | $U 150$3.75 | ₡ 1,800$3.93 | similar |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | $U 1,000$25 | ₡ 15,000$32.8 | Montevideo −24% |
| Coffeeone cup | $U 220$5.5 | ₡ 2,000$4.37 | San José −21% |
| Beerone bottle | $U 180$4.5 | ₡ 1,800$3.93 | San José −13% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | $U 350$8.75 | ₡ 4,500$9.84 | Montevideo −11% |
| Bottled water | $U 50$1.25 | ₡ 700$1.53 | Montevideo −18% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | $U 100$2.5 | ₡ 900$1.97 | San José −21% |
| Taxi5 km in town | $U 420$10.5 | ₡ 3,500$7.65 | San José −27% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | $U 200$5 | ₡ 2,000$4.37 | San José −13% |
| Transitone ride | $U 52$1.3 | ₡ 500$1.09 | San José −16% |
| Scooter rentalper day | $U 600$15 | ₡ 10,000$21.9 | Montevideo −31% |
| Hotel night3-star | $U 3,400$85 | ₡ 37,500$82 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | $U 26,000$650 | ₡ 375,000$820 | Montevideo −21% |
| Laundry | $U 350$8.75 | ₡ 1,500$3.28 | San José −63% |
| SIM card1 week data | $U 600$15 | ₡ 8,000$17.5 | Montevideo −14% |
| Haircutcut | $U 450$11.2 | ₡ 6,000$13.1 | Montevideo −14% |
| Massage1 hour | $U 1,600$40 | ₡ 20,000$43.7 | Montevideo −8% |
| Half-day tourper person | $U 2,500$62.5 | ₡ 23,000$50.3 | San José −20% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | $U 400$10 | ₡ 7,000$15.3 | Montevideo −35% |
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%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Montevideo or San José?
Montevideo and San José cost about the same. Daily budget $192 vs $180; a month $3,217 vs $3,335.
Which is easier to travel, Montevideo or San José?
Montevideo is easier: Montevideo 2.4/5 vs San José 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Montevideo and San José?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Montevideo is about $3,217 and San José about $3,335 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
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.