Montevideo vs Santiago
In short
Calculated from the figures below, with no overall “who wins” score.
Rent
✓in Montevideo cheaper — −12%
Family groceries
✓in Santiago cheaper — −40%
Internet
✓in Santiago cheaper — −81%
In numbers
Exchange rate as of the date each figure was checked.
House or apartment rent
per month✓Montevideo≈ $577–827UYU 23,124–33,147cheaper by 12%Santiago≈ $648–953CLP 622,895–915,901Piped gas
✓Montevideo≈ $1.21 per m³UYU 48.55 per m³cheaper by 13%Santiago≈ $1.39 per m³CLP 1,336 per m³Family groceries
per monthMontevideo≈ $630–651UYU 25,236–26,112✓Santiago≈ $384CLP 369,308cheaper by 40%Internet
per monthMontevideo≈ $41–108UYU 1,650–4,342✓Santiago≈ $12–17CLP 11,990–15,990cheaper by 81%Winter
averageMontevideo7–15 °C7–15 °CSantiago11 °C11 °CPrecipitation
per yearMontevideo1,101 mm1,101 mmSantiago286 mm286 mmReady-made house
purchase✓Montevideo$118k$118kcheaper by 41%Santiago≈ $132–265kCLP 127,226,542–254,453,084
By topic
A quick look at each city. Details and sources are on the city page.
Daily life
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
Santiago
Nothing yet
Housing
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
Santiago
A 70 m² apartment per month: Santiago Centro 623k pesos, Ñuñoa 777k, Las Condes 916k. Utilities on top.
SpecialistEl Diario Inmobiliario: rents by commune in Santiago, Yapo.cl “Radiografía 2025” · checked 28 Sep 2026
Three bedrooms per month: La Florida 541k pesos, Ñuñoa 786k, Las Condes 2.08 million. The gap is almost fourfold.
SpecialistBioBioChile: apartment purchase prices (BDO Chile) and three-bedroom rents (TocToc) by commune · checked 28 Sep 2026
Prices are quoted in UF, not in pesos. The average apartment: Ñuñoa 6,200 UF (about 254 million pesos), Santiago Centro 3,100 UF.
SpecialistBioBioChile: apartment purchase prices (BDO Chile) and three-bedroom rents (TocToc) by commune · checked 28 Sep 2026
Money and prices
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
Santiago
The minimum food basket is 92,327 pesos per person per month, about 369k for four. Without household chemicals and meals out.
OfficialChile's Ministry of Social Development: cost of the basic food basket and poverty lines, August 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
The poverty line for a renting family of four is 994,038 pesos a month. A realistic budget with normal rent is from 1.8–2.2 million.
OfficialChile's Ministry of Social Development: cost of the basic food basket and poverty lines, August 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Family and kids
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
Santiago
A subsidized school with a co-payment: 122k pesos a month. The German school in Santiago: about 793k pesos in each of ten payments.
SpecialistColegio Alto Palena: information letter on fees for the 2026 school year · checked 28 Sep 2026
Healthcare
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
Santiago
The Metropolitan Region has 62 accredited inpatient facilities, 52 of them high complexity. There are three children's hospitals plus two specialized children's centers.
OfficialSuperintendencia de Salud: register of accredited healthcare providers in the Metropolitan Region · checked 28 Sep 2026
Transport
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
Santiago
Santiago airport handled 15.73 million passengers from January to July 2025, twice the pre-pandemic level. In July there were more international flights than domestic ones.
SpecialistSantiago airport: passenger record for January-July 2025 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Climate
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
Santiago
The average temperature in July 2026 at the Quinta Normal station was 10.6 °C. Winter is mild on paper, but homes are not insulated, so it can be colder indoors than outside during the day.
OfficialChilean Meteorological Service: average temperature in July 2026, Quinta Normal station (330020) · checked 28 Sep 2026
286 mm a year under the 1991–2020 norm, almost all of it in winter. Over thirty years the norm has dropped by 16%: it was 342 mm.
OfficialDGAC: update of climate normals, 1991-2020 period · checked 28 Sep 2026
By mid-June 2026 the city already had 15 critical pollution episodes. A year earlier at the same date there was one; in 2024, none.
SpecialistEmol: Santiago exceeded the number of critical pollution episodes of the previous two years · checked 28 Sep 2026
Safety
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
Santiago
In the first half of 2025, the commune of Santiago had 21 homicides, La Pintana and Puente Alto 19 each, Ñuñoa 4, Vitacura 2, and Las Condes and Providencia none.
OfficialReport on homicide victims for the first half of 2025, with figures by commune · checked 28 Sep 2026
Internet and phone
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
Santiago
Symmetric fiber at 600–940 Mbps for 11,990–15,990 pesos a month ($12–17) on a 12-month promotion. The price goes up afterwards.
SpecialistComparaiso: current home fiber internet rates in Chile · checked 28 Sep 2026
As of June 2026, fiber accounts for 87.3% of all fixed connections in the country, and 77.3% of urban households have wired internet. The average home downloads 699 GB a month.
SpecialistBioBioChile: Subtel telecommunications data for the first half of 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Services
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
Santiago
Metrogas piped gas: 1,336 pesos per m³ in the 60–130 m³ band. A winter month with gas heating is about 100 m³, which is roughly 134k pesos ($139).
OfficialMetrogas: publication of new gas rates, in effect from 24 March 2026 · checked 28 Sep 2026
Water with sewerage in Greater Santiago: about 1,384 pesos per m³ including IVA and 944 a month according to an aggregator site. Only the water part is officially verified: 577.57 per m³ in 2025.
SpecialistAhorraHogar.cl: price of a cubic meter of water in Chile, tariffs by company (Aguas Andinas, SISS sheet from 11 May 2026) · checked 30 Sep 2026

