Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $1,895 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alton, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Alton, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$1,895
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alton, IL 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 Alton, IL and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,895 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Alton, IL $1,895
  • Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $2,862 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Alton, IL $2,862
  • Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $3,829 per month in Alton, IL vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Alton, IL $3,829
  • Montevideo $3,728

Alton, IL costs about 6% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Alton, IL and Montevideo sit above the global median – Alton, IL by 40%, Montevideo by 32%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.77 $20.77
$14.82 UYU 595
40.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.6 $55.6
$69.7 UYU 2,797
-20.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.17 $11.17
$14.68 UYU 589
-23.91%
Cappuccino
$4.95 $4.95
$4.65 UYU 186
6.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 $1.46
$2.74 UYU 110
-46.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 $1.74
$2.07 UYU 82.9
-15.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.89 $3.89
$4.79 UYU 192
-18.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.88 $5.88
$3.63 UYU 146
61.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$1.39 UYU 55.8
-41.73%
White Bread (500g)
$2.59 $2.59
$2.89 UYU 116
-10.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$1.70 UYU 68.1
84.12%
Eggs
$3.16 $3.16
$4.62 UYU 185
-31.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.32 $9.32
$14.22 UYU 571
-34.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 $6.74
$11.62 UYU 466
-42.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$23.42 $23.42
$12.23 UYU 491
91.50%
Apples (1kg)
$4.26 $4.26
$2.77 UYU 111
53.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 $1.18
$2.85 UYU 114
-58.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.18 $5.18
$1.81 UYU 72.5
186.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.89 $4.89
$3.20 UYU 129
52.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.94 UYU 77.8
13.92%
Onion (1kg)
$2.74 $2.74
$2.16 UYU 86.5
26.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.43 UYU 57.3
46.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.94 UYU 77.9
8.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.08 $11.08
$5.47 UYU 219
102.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.05 $12.05
$8.95 UYU 359
34.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 $1.83
$2.26 UYU 90.8
-19.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 $2.67
$2.81 UYU 113
-4.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.56 UYU 62.6
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$73.8 UYU 2,962
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.90 UYU 76.2
55.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 $1.69
$0.43 UYU 17.36
293.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.59 UYU 425
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.98 $0.98
$2.12 UYU 85.2
-53.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
3.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$37.0K UYU 1.5M
-29.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$331 $331
$193 UYU 7,727
72.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$43.44 $43.44
$20.91 UYU 839
107.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$77.7 $77.7
$44.89 UYU 1,802
73.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.07 $27.07
$50.8 UYU 2,038
-46.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.73 UYU 792
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.95 $11.95
$12.30 UYU 494
-2.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$279 $279
$629 UYU 25.2K
-55.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$10.9K UYU 437.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.36 $40.36
$104 UYU 4,166
-61.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.75 $42.75
$57.4 UYU 2,305
-25.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$65.4 $65.4
$125 UYU 5,010
-47.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.1 $76.1
$132 UYU 5,315
-42.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$763 $763
$713 UYU 28.6K
7.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$627 $627
$575 UYU 23.1K
8.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,099 $1,099
$1,164 UYU 46.7K
-5.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,275 $1,275
$1,033 UYU 41.5K
23.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,513 $1,513
$3,418 UYU 137.2K
-55.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,455 $1,455
$1,760 UYU 70.6K
-17.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alton, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,813 $3,813
$1,244 UYU 49.9K
206.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
5.74
4.53%

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

Last update for Alton, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Alton, IL
$627
Montevideo
$575 8.2% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alton, IL
$452
Montevideo
$258 42.9% $194
Groceries & Markets
Alton, IL
$349
Montevideo
$334 4.4% $15
Eating Out
Alton, IL
$303
Montevideo
$269 11.3% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Alton, IL
$101
Montevideo
$188 86.4% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Alton, IL
$51
Montevideo
$75 47.9% $24
Getting Around
Alton, IL
$11 *
Montevideo
$84 636% $73

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Alton, IL versus $713 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 206% higher in Alton, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alton, IL versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $349 in Alton, IL vs $334 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Alton, IL
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
16:59 4:59 PM
18:59 6:59 PM
2 h ahead of Alton, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,676
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alton, IL Montevideo 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Alton, IL
  • 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
Alton, IL vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Alton, IL or Montevideo?
Alton, IL costs about 6% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Alton, IL and in Montevideo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,842 per month in Alton, IL and $2,676 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Alton, IL or Montevideo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Alton, IL compared to Montevideo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,895 in Alton, IL and $1,784 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 6%.
How do childcare costs compare in Alton, IL and in Montevideo?
Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Alton, IL and $629 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Alton, IL or in Montevideo?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Alton, IL at $1,895. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Alton, IL or Montevideo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montevideo costs $1,784 versus $1,895 in Alton, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Alton, IL compared to Montevideo?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Alton, IL or to Montevideo?
If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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