Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, MA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,759 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,759

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,759 in Amherst, MA versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Amherst, MA $2,759
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,250 in Amherst, MA versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Amherst, MA $4,250
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Amherst, MA versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Amherst, MA $5,742
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 56% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Amherst, MA 104% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 $20.37

$15.16 UYU 609

34.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 $69.3

$69.2 UYU 2,776

0.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 $9.18

$14.65 UYU 588

-37.34%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$4.46 UYU 179

8.97%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$2.67 UYU 107

-1.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.83 UYU 194

22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.63 $10.63

$3.80 UYU 152

179.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-22.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.87 UYU 115

10.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.75 UYU 70.2

306.86%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$4.68 UYU 188

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.30 $16.30

$13.88 UYU 557

17.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.68 $15.68

$11.98 UYU 481

30.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.11 $18.11

$11.97 UYU 480

51.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.78 UYU 111

73.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.74 UYU 110

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.77 UYU 71.2

83.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.24 UYU 130

48.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.97 UYU 79.2

64.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.07 UYU 83.1

71.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.37 UYU 55.1

61.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.88 UYU 75.3

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 $10.38

$5.59 UYU 224

85.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 $12.16

$8.78 UYU 352

38.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-9.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.75 UYU 110

43.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-15.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 $27.49

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-62.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.91 UYU 76.7

81.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.40 UYU 16.18

242.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.92 $29.92

$10.33 UYU 415

189.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-56.81%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

34.74%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-30.60%

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

$207 $207

$188 UYU 7,557

10.18%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$20.54 UYU 824

176.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 $90.5

$44.81 UYU 1,798

102.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$54.0 UYU 2,166

121.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 $7.15

$19.75 UYU 793

-63.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.64 $10.64

$11.95 UYU 480

-10.96%

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

$1,513 $1,513

$634 UYU 25.5K

138.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K $16.8K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

52.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.36 $44.36

$102 UYU 4,099

-56.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.35 $40.35

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-29.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 $89.7

$127 UYU 5,079

-29.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$128 UYU 5,131

-16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$719 UYU 28.8K

154.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 $1,342

$568 UYU 22.8K

136.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 $3,963

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

246.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

162.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 $4,010

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

18.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

105.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,769 $4,769

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

283.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.74

6.27%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 57.7% $774

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$433 15.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 23.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$355 12.9%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 28.5% $101

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$318 11.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 15.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$141 5.1%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 44.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$127 4.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 47.2% $60

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$43 1.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 96.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,826 in Amherst, MA and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays 283% 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: $69.0 in Amherst, MA vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $433 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

1 h ahead of Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

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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Amherst, MA Montevideo 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, MA
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

Amherst, MA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 283% higher in Amherst, MA, 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: $1,826 in Amherst, MA versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,513 in Amherst, MA versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,759 in Amherst, MA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Amherst, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montevideo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Amherst, MA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Amherst, MA 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 56% less than in Amherst, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.