Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

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

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 28% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$15.26 UYU 613

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$67.4 UYU 2,711

17.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$14.37 UYU 578

-17.88%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.64 UYU 187

17.67%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.73 UYU 110

8.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-16.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.75 UYU 191

6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$3.67 UYU 147

57.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-34.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.77 UYU 112

5.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.69 UYU 67.8

93.49%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$4.52 UYU 182

-12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$14.17 UYU 570

-31.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$12.07 UYU 485

-28.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$12.16 UYU 489

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.87 UYU 116

82.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.75 UYU 110

-44.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.73 UYU 69.5

182.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$3.24 UYU 130

13.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.07 UYU 83.1

7.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.07 UYU 83.1

60.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.38 UYU 55.4

36.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.85 UYU 74.5

43.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$5.57 UYU 224

57.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$8.89 UYU 357

66.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-26.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.70 UYU 109

-8.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.82 UYU 73.4

12.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.40 UYU 16.05

217.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$10.66 UYU 429

84.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-55.41%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

33.38%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-30.91%

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

$159 $159

$191 UYU 7,674

-16.49%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$20.40 UYU 820

160.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$44.14 UYU 1,775

45.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$54.1 UYU 2,177

36.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$12.33 UYU 496

21.25%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$613 UYU 24.7K

79.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

7.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$103 UYU 4,134

-53.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-37.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$124 UYU 5,000

-27.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$130 UYU 5,214

-10.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$705 UYU 28.4K

57.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$575 UYU 23.1K

98.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

73.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

57.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

330.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

5.74

10.98%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 49.6% $565

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 5.8% $21

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 13.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 7.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 42.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 24.2% $25

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 894% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 330% 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: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

2 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ankeny, IA Montevideo 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, 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

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

Ankeny, IA and Montevideo differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $1,813 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 330% higher in Ankeny, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. 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, Ankeny, 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 28% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.