Bariloche vs Montevideo
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
≈ about equal≈ $611–836ARS 950k – 1.3M and ≈ $577–827UYU 23,124–33,147 per month
Ready-made house
✓in Montevideo cheaper — −67%
Gas per m³
✓in Bariloche cheaper — −93%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per monthalmost equalBariloche≈ $611–836ARS 950k – 1.3MMontevideo≈ $577–827UYU 23,124–33,147Piped gas
✓Bariloche≈ $0.08 per m³ARS 126.05 per m³cheaper by 93%Montevideo≈ $1.21 per m³UYU 48.55 per m³Family budget, other calculation
per monthBariloche≈ $1,140ARS 1,784,886Montevideo≈ $1,350UYU 54,233Internet speed
plan speedBarilocheup to 300 Mbpsup to 300 MbpsMontevideoup to 1,000 Mbpsup to 1,000 MbpsWinter
averageBariloche2 °C2 °CMontevideo7–15 °C7–15 °CPrecipitation
per yearBariloche812.5 mm812.5 mmMontevideo1,101 mm1,101 mmReady-made house
purchaseBariloche$242–480k$242–480k✓Montevideo$118k$118kcheaper by 67%
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Daily life
Bariloche
Nothing yet
Montevideo
From 16k pesos in Casavalle to 34k in Carrasco: between the cheapest and the most expensive neighbourhood it is a little over two times.
OfficialINE: average rent by neighborhood in Montevideo, active contracts · checked 28 Sep 2026
Housing
Bariloche
2 bedrooms in town start from ARS 1.2–1.3 million a month. A small house outside the center is ARS 0.95–1.3 million; a rural look around the city does not mean cheap rent.
SpecialistLong-term rental listings — Zonaprop, Mercado Libre, local agencies · checked 30 Aug 2026
Half of the listings are USD 74–122k for a 400–1,500 m² plot, median USD 100k. Cheapest are Dos Valles and Las Victorias, most expensive is Arelauquen.
SpecialistMercado Libre Inmuebles - plots for sale, Bariloche, listings as of 1 October 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Half of the listings are USD 242–480k for a 60–260 m² house, median USD 340k. Small houses of 70–140 m² run from USD 105 to 250k.
SpecialistMercado Libre Inmuebles - houses for sale, Bariloche, listings as of 1 October 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Montevideo
The average existing contract in Montevideo is 23,472 pesos a month. Pocitos 28,018, Punta Carretas 28,959, Centro 23,124 (July 2026).
OfficialINE: rental market indicators, July 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
A two-bedroom in Pocitos is about 39k pesos a month, in Punta Carretas 50k, in Centro 29.9k. A three-bedroom house in Carrasco is 2,300–5,500 dollars.
SpecialistGallito: two-bedroom apartments for rent in Pocitos · checked 28 Sep 2026
The median of registered transactions in Montevideo is 118k dollars (June 2026), nationwide 85k.
OfficialINE: housing sales market indicators, June-July 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
By the listings, about 298k dollars for 72 m² in Pocitos, range 120–680k. These are asking prices, not transactions.
SpecialistGallito: two-bedroom apartments for sale in Pocitos · checked 28 Sep 2026
Money and prices
Bariloche
The minimum food basket for a family of four in the Patagonia region (INDEC) is ARS 708,288 a month, June 2026. There is no data for Bariloche itself.
OfficialIPIEC Tierra del Fuego - Boletín Estadístico Mensual № 266, agosto 2026 (INDEC baskets, Patagonia region) · checked 1 Oct 2026
The poverty line for the Patagonia region is ARS 1,784,886 a month (June 2026), excluding rent. With the rent of a small house in Bariloche, roughly ARS 2.7–3.1 million.
OfficialIPIEC Tierra del Fuego - Boletín Estadístico Mensual № 266, agosto 2026 (INDEC baskets, Patagonia region) · checked 1 Oct 2026
Montevideo
A family of three renting housing in Montevideo is considered poor at an income below 54,233 pesos a month. For two the threshold is 39,169.
OfficialINE: income poverty estimate, first half of 2025, with poverty lines · checked 28 Sep 2026
The INE minimum food basket for Montevideo is 6,309 pesos per person a month, for a family of four about 25,200. Values for January 2025.
OfficialINE: income poverty estimate, first half of 2025, with poverty lines · checked 28 Sep 2026
Family and kids
Bariloche
More schools and kindergartens than in the other cities checked. An application for inicial and primaria lists three school options.
OfficialRío Negro — enrollment in compulsory education 2026 · checked 31 Aug 2026
Montevideo
Enrolment in a state kindergarten from age three and in school goes through the Guri Familia portal. The country of origin and the family's status do not matter.
OfficialMinistry of Education and Culture: guide to enrolling migrants, primary education · checked 28 Sep 2026
Healthcare
Bariloche
Hospital Zonal Ramón Carrillo is a strong regional center: a new Guardia since October 2025, Hospital Modular at Km 8 since August 2026. A plus for a family.
OfficialThe new emergency department (Guardia) of the Bariloche hospital · checked 28 Aug 2026
Montevideo
The regulator's benchmark for a personal contribution to a mutualista (a private health fund) is 6,858 pesos a month per person. The cap on a co-payment for a visit, test or medicine is 880 pesos.
OfficialUruguay's Ministry of Public Health: healthcare price adjustment, July 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Transport
Bariloche
About 13 km east of the city, open year-round with regular flights. It is closer from the east of the city and from Dina Huapi than from the far west.
OfficialBariloche airport · checked 28 Aug 2026
About 170 km of paved roads, 540 km of dirt and gravel. A neighborhood may formally be "Bariloche" yet in practice have dirt, ice and a queue for municipal equipment.
OfficialMunicipalidad de Bariloche — street maintenance · checked 28 Aug 2026
Montevideo
One hour of travel with an STM card costs 52 pesos, two hours 78. Cash is more expensive: 64 and 97. The first card is free.
OfficialMontevideo city hall: urban public transport fares · checked 28 Sep 2026
On Ruta 101, kilometre 19.95. There are 18 direct destinations, only Madrid in Europe and only Miami in the US.
SpecialistCarrasco airport: direct destinations · checked 28 Sep 2026
Climate
Bariloche
812.5 mm according to SMN normals, with the maximum from May to August. Snow about 25.5 days a year, frost 110.3 days, of which 18.8 in July.
OfficialSMN — climate normals 1991–2020 · checked 28 Aug 2026
Winter, 21 June – 20 September: precipitation often as snow, from 0 to −10 °C, possibly down to −15. Summer is dry and sunny, up to ~30 °C. Winter is harder than in Esquel.
OfficialBariloche municipal tourism — FAQ and seasons · checked 28 Aug 2026
July averages 2.1 °C: about 7 by day, about −1.6 at night. SMN 1991–2020 norms, Bariloche Aero station. In El Bolsón July is warmer, at 3.6.
OfficialSMN — climate normals 1991–2020 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Montevideo
July is the coldest month: average minimum 7.2 degrees, average maximum 15.0. June and August are almost the same.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Montevideo · checked 28 Sep 2026
About 1,100 mm a year, and surprisingly evenly distributed: in any month from 83 to 109 mm and 8–10 rain days.
OfficialWMO, World Weather Information Service: climate normals of Montevideo · checked 28 Sep 2026
Safety
Bariloche
For the province in 2025: 25 cases, 3.2 per 100k, below the national average (3.6) and 29% lower than in 2024. There are no separate figures for Bariloche.
OfficialSNIC — Informe del Sistema Nacional de Información Criminal, year 2025, table 5 (intentional homicides by province) · checked 9 Sep 2026
Montevideo
In 2025 Montevideo had 210 homicides out of 369 nationwide, that is 57%. Nationwide it is 10.3 per 100 thousand residents.
OfficialUruguay's Ministry of the Interior: preliminary crime statistics for 2025 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Robbery reports (rapiña) in 2025: Pocitos 125, Carrasco 59, Cordón 290, Casavalle 481, Unión 564. These are the number of cases, not adjusted for population.
OfficialUruguay's Ministry of the Interior, open data: crime reports by Montevideo neighborhood (microdata through 2025) · checked 29 Sep 2026
Reports of theft without violence in 2025: Cordón 2,697, Pocitos 2,062, Carrasco 517. This includes thefts from cars and shops, not only from passers-by.
OfficialUruguay's Ministry of the Interior, open data: crime reports by Montevideo neighborhood (microdata through 2025) · checked 29 Sep 2026
Internet and phone
Bariloche
Gnet: fiber up to 300 Mbps, installation in 48–72 working hours, coverage mostly in town. The technology depends on the street: your neighbor may have only radio.
SpecialistGnet — FTTH in Bariloche · checked 2 Sep 2026
Montevideo
State-owned Antel offers up to 1000/300 Mbit/s over fibre, and the basic home plan is 400/30.
OfficialAntel: data transmission price list, 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
From 1,650 pesos for 400 Mbit/s to 4,342 for a gigabit. Taxes included, two-year contract.
OfficialAntel: data transmission price list, 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Services
Bariloche
CEB, September–October 2026 tariff: at 300 kWh a month, ARS 94,886 with the discount and ARS 115,451 without it, before taxes.
SpecialistCEB (Cooperativa de Electricidad Bariloche) - cuadro tarifario, septiembre-octubre 2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Piped gas is not available everywhere. Since 5 January 2026 Camuzzi has accepted connection requests again and the network is being extended; some families heat with firewood.
SpecialistCamuzzi — gas connections resume in the Cordillera · checked 1 Oct 2026
Camuzzi from 1 September 2026: ARS 126.05 per m³ (50% discount for the cold zone) plus a fixed charge of ARS 5–32k. A cold month at 400 m³ costs ARS 56–82k before taxes.
OfficialENREGE - Resolución 542/2026: cuadros tarifarios Camuzzi Gas del Sur, vigencia 1.09.2026 · checked 1 Oct 2026
Water is mostly supplied by Aguas Rionegrinas: the two-month minimum is ARS 24,026 for water or 43,255 with sewerage (from March 2026, excluding IVA). Some districts have their own tariffs.
OfficialBoletín Oficial Río Negro № 6471 - Decreto 152/26, régimen tarifario Aguas Rionegrinas · checked 1 Oct 2026
Montevideo
From January 2026: 6.744 pesos per kWh up to 100 kWh, 8.452 from 101 to 600, plus a fixed 324.9 pesos a month. For 300 kWh the tariff comes to about 2,900 pesos.
OfficialDecreto 339/025: UTE rates from 1 January 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
OSE water from January 2026: up to 15 m³ at 36.91 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge of 327.5. For 15 m³ that comes to about 880 pesos a month. The municipality bills sewage separately.
OfficialDecree 340/025: OSE water and sewerage tariffs from 1 January 2026 · checked 29 Sep 2026
The municipality, not OSE, bills sewage in Montevideo: a fixed charge of 80.76 pesos a month and 45.30 per m³ of water (2025 tariff). For 15 m³ that is about 760 pesos, billed every two months.
OfficialMontevideo city government: saneamiento (sewerage) tariff · checked 29 Sep 2026
Montevideo Gas network gas, September 2026, including VAT: 48.55 pesos per m³ plus a fixed charge of 714.86 a month. Summer, 30 m³: about 2,170 pesos; winter, 100 m³: about 5,570.
OfficialMontevideo Gas: current tariff, September 2026, including VAT · checked 29 Sep 2026

