Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ames, IA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,142 in Ames, IA versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Ames, IA $2,142
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Ames, IA versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Ames, IA $3,242
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,342 in Ames, IA versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Ames, IA $4,342
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Ames, IA is roughly 21% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ames, IA 59% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.13 $18.13

$15.16 UYU 609

19.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-24.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$14.65 UYU 588

-16.86%

Cappuccino

$4.87 $4.87

$4.46 UYU 179

9.19%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$2.67 UYU 107

-2.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.00 UYU 80.4

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.83 UYU 194

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.80 UYU 152

79.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-34.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.87 UYU 115

23.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.75 UYU 70.2

86.29%

Eggs

$3.34 $3.34

$4.68 UYU 188

-28.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$13.88 UYU 557

-27.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.62 $13.62

$11.98 UYU 481

13.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$11.97 UYU 480

59.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.78 UYU 111

111.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.74 UYU 110

-33.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$1.77 UYU 71.2

277.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 $5.22

$3.24 UYU 130

61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.97 UYU 79.2

130.46%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.07 UYU 83.1

96.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.37 UYU 55.1

69.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.88 UYU 75.3

29.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.03 $13.03

$5.59 UYU 224

133.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$8.78 UYU 352

83.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.26 UYU 90.9

26.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.75 UYU 110

81.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.57 $35.57

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-52.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$1.91 UYU 76.7

166.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.40 UYU 16.18

322.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$10.33 UYU 415

133.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-54.93%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-8.76%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-30.86%

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

$176 $176

$188 UYU 7,557

-6.37%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$20.54 UYU 824

164.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$44.81 UYU 1,798

58.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 $69.0

$54.0 UYU 2,166

27.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 $19.74

$19.75 UYU 793

-0.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.97 $15.97

$11.95 UYU 480

33.64%

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

$1,370 $1,370

$634 UYU 25.5K

115.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K $36.1K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

226.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$102 UYU 4,099

-42.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.68 $44.68

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$127 UYU 5,079

-28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$128 UYU 5,131

-18.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 $1,005

$719 UYU 28.8K

39.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$822 $822

$568 UYU 22.8K

44.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,860 $1,860

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

62.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

47.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 $2,432

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-28.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

12.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,597 $3,597

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

189.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

5.74

11.67%

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

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ames, IA

$822 38.4%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 30.9% $254

Groceries & Markets

Ames, IA

$436 20.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 24% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ames, IA

$302 14.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 16% $48

Eating Out

Ames, IA

$293 13.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 8.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ames, IA

$134 6.3%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 39% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Ames, IA

$101 4.7%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 22.9% $23

Getting Around

Ames, IA

$53 2.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 58.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,005 in Ames, IA and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 189% 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: $52.0 in Ames, IA vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $436 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

2 h ahead of Ames, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,427

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Ames, IA Montevideo 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ames, IA
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

Ames, IA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montevideo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 189% higher in Ames, IA, 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: $1,005 in Ames, IA versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montevideo runs roughly 109% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,370 in Ames, IA versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montevideo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montevideo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ames, IA 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 21% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.