Rocha, Uruguay

Why it ranks

Everything Lavalleja has, plus the Atlantic.

What drags it down

Wind, lowland flooding, and Oceanía del Polonio is where everyone is buying.

Water

Rice paddies and agrochemicals in the Merín lowlands — stay in the sierras. Laguna de Rocha is a protected area.

Land prices

$2,600–9,500 (≈30–90 ac)

114 ha, 8 km from the coast and 11 km from La Pedrera, at US$6,500/ha (~$2,600/acre); a 7.6‑ha chacra on Ruta 10 toward the sea $180,000; 42 ha in the Sierras de San Miguel with springs $3,600/ha.

Hospital

Rocha 30–45 min; Punta del Este clinics 1.5 hr; Montevideo 3 hr.

Buying as a US citizen

Same as Lavalleja — no restrictions.

Surf

+6: La Paloma, La Pedrera, Santa Teresa — March–October, 3/2 wetsuit most of the year.

The numbers behind the score