---
title: "Montevideo vs Salto for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/montevideo-vs-salto
description: "Under balanced weights Montevideo edges it, 66 to 63, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Montevideo is stronger on climate; Salto on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Montevideo vs Salto for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Montevideo edges it, 66 to 63, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Montevideo is stronger on climate; Salto on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Climate.** Montevideo leads on climate, 58 to 42, against Salto. Comfortable months: 7 vs 5.
- **Cost of living.** Montevideo leads on cost of living, 53 to 43, against Salto. Monthly cost, one person: $1,555 vs $1,900.
- **Air quality.** Salto leads on air quality, 90 to 84, against Montevideo. PM2.5: 12 µg/m³ vs 9.5 µg/m³.

Where they are close: within five points on internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.

**Pick Montevideo if you want** to spend about $345 less a month; a longer comfortable season (7 months against 5).

**Pick Salto if you want** no clear edge over Montevideo in the data.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 53 | 43 | Montevideo |
| Safety | 64 | 64 | tie |
| Healthcare | 82 | 82 | tie |
| Internet | 85 | 84 | Montevideo |
| Visa ease | 71 | 71 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 27 | 22 | Montevideo |
| Climate | 58 | 42 | Montevideo |
| Air quality | 84 | 90 | Salto |
| Quality of life | 74 | 74 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,555 | $1,900 | Montevideo |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $676 | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 11.28 | 11.28 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 88.4 | 88.4 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 85 | 85 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 77.1 yrs | 77.1 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 87.1 Mbps | 82.7 Mbps | Montevideo |
| Upload | 29.3 Mbps | 28.8 Mbps | Montevideo |

## Visa

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad permit (Hoja de Identidad Provisoria) | Digital nomad permit (Hoja de Identidad Provisoria) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 16 | 16 | tie |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Montevideo |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Montevideo | Salto | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 5 | Montevideo |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 12 µg/m³ | 9.5 µg/m³ | Salto |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Montevideo or Salto?

Montevideo is cheaper: about $1,555 per month versus $1,900 for one person.

### Is Montevideo or Salto safer?

Montevideo and Salto score the same on safety (64), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Montevideo or Salto?

Montevideo: a measured median of 87.1 Mbps versus 82.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Montevideo](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/montevideo) · [Salto](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/salto). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/montevideo-vs-salto