Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria, VA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $3,249 in Alexandria, VA, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, VA
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Alexandria, VA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Alexandria, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,249

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria, VA and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alexandria, VA and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,249 in Alexandria, VA versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Alexandria, VA $3,249
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,722 in Alexandria, VA versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Alexandria, VA $4,722
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,195 in Alexandria, VA versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Alexandria, VA $6,195
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Alexandria, VA is roughly 83% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alexandria, VA 141% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.18 $20.18

$15.16 UYU 609

33.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$69.2 UYU 2,776

49.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.83 $11.83

$14.65 UYU 588

-19.25%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$4.46 UYU 179

1.35%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.67 UYU 107

2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.00 UYU 80.4

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 $6.58

$4.83 UYU 194

36.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.86 $8.86

$3.80 UYU 152

133.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-13.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.87 UYU 115

35.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$1.75 UYU 70.2

117.14%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$4.68 UYU 188

-3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$13.88 UYU 557

18.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.22 $15.22

$11.98 UYU 481

27.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 $20.04

$11.97 UYU 480

67.42%

Apples (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$2.78 UYU 111

119.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.74 UYU 110

-51.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.55 $7.55

$1.77 UYU 71.2

326.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 $7.84

$3.24 UYU 130

141.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.97 UYU 79.2

8.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.07 UYU 83.1

26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.37 UYU 55.1

99.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.88 UYU 75.3

29.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$5.59 UYU 224

67.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 $14.35

$8.78 UYU 352

63.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.75 UYU 110

33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.53 UYU 61.5

100.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.5 $51.5

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-30.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.91 UYU 76.7

113.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.40 UYU 16.18

395.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.13 $25.13

$10.33 UYU 415

143.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-52.11%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.8K $36.8K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

35.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.6K $25.6K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-29.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$240 $240

$188 UYU 7,557

27.67%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$53.7 $53.7

$20.54 UYU 824

161.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$44.81 UYU 1,798

72.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 $72.4

$54.0 UYU 2,166

34.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$11.95 UYU 480

53.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,034 $2,034

$634 UYU 25.5K

220.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.5K $65.5K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

492.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.10 $48.10

$102 UYU 4,099

-52.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 $47.90

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$127 UYU 5,079

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$128 UYU 5,131

5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 $2,315

$719 UYU 28.8K

222.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 $1,737

$568 UYU 22.8K

205.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,390 $3,390

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

196.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,776 $2,776

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

171.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,743 $6,743

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

98.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,049 $4,049

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

107.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,951 $5,951

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

378.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.74

15.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alexandria, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria, VA

$1.7K 53.5%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 67.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria, VA

$474 14.6%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 30% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria, VA

$371 11.4%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 31.7% $118

Eating Out

Alexandria, VA

$322 9.9%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 16.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria, VA

$158 4.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 17.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria, VA

$109 3.4%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 28.6% $31

Getting Around

Alexandria, VA

$78 2.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 8.5% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,315 in Alexandria, VA and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, VA pays 378% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $103 in Alexandria, VA vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $474 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alexandria, VA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h ahead of Alexandria, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,035

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandria, VA Montevideo 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria, VA
Montevideo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alexandria, VA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria, VA and Montevideo differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($3,249 vs $1,771 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 378% higher in Alexandria, VA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,315 in Alexandria, VA versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,249 per month in Alexandria, VA versus $1,771 in Montevideo – a 83% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Montevideo runs roughly 44% less than in Alexandria, VA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $3,249 in Alexandria, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, VA. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Alexandria, VA and Montevideo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Alexandria, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.