Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $3,568 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

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

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,568

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,568 per month in Arlington, VA vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,568
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $5,411 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,411
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $7,255 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,255
Montevideo $3,708

Arlington, VA costs about 101% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arlington, VA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.97 $23.97

$15.16 UYU 609

58.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$69.2 UYU 2,776

43.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$14.65 UYU 588

-25.94%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$4.46 UYU 179

33.86%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$2.67 UYU 107

15.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.00 UYU 80.4

21.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.83 UYU 194

65.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$3.80 UYU 152

135.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.87 UYU 115

51.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$1.75 UYU 70.2

212.00%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$4.68 UYU 188

11.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.58 $21.58

$13.88 UYU 557

55.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$11.98 UYU 481

32.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.20 $23.20

$11.97 UYU 480

93.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.78 UYU 111

105.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.74 UYU 110

-33.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.77 UYU 71.2

161.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.24 UYU 130

81.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.97 UYU 79.2

62.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.07 UYU 83.1

82.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.37 UYU 55.1

70.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.88 UYU 75.3

31.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 $10.36

$5.59 UYU 224

85.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.94 $16.94

$8.78 UYU 352

92.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.26 UYU 90.9

27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.75 UYU 110

5.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.53 UYU 61.5

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$74.3 UYU 2,980

64.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.91 UYU 76.7

113.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.40 UYU 16.18

207.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.15 $25.15

$10.33 UYU 415

143.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-52.58%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

26.54%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-30.36%

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

$165 $165

$188 UYU 7,557

-12.31%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$20.54 UYU 824

146.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$44.81 UYU 1,798

35.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 $70.2

$54.0 UYU 2,166

30.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 $18.96

$19.75 UYU 793

-4.00%

Cinema Ticket

$16.37 $16.37

$11.95 UYU 480

36.99%

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

$1,612 $1,612

$634 UYU 25.5K

154.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

225.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 $55.1

$102 UYU 4,099

-46.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 $62.6

$57.5 UYU 2,309

8.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$127 UYU 5,079

-18.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$128 UYU 5,131

26.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 $2,488

$719 UYU 28.8K

246.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$568 UYU 22.8K

249.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,810 $4,810

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

320.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,596 $3,596

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

251.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,380 $6,380

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

88.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,983 $4,983

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

155.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,625 $6,625

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

432.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.74

18.29%

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

Last update for Arlington, 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

Arlington, VA

$2K 55.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 71.4% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$510 14.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 35% $179

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$376 10.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 28.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$277 7.8%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 8.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$172 4.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 8.3% $14

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$143 4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 41.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$103 2.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 24.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,488 in Arlington, VA versus $719 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 432% higher in Arlington, VA, 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 $99.0 in Arlington, VA versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $510 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

20:23 8:23 PM

1 h ahead of Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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

Lowest

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Between locations

Arlington, VA Montevideo 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, 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

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

Arlington, VA costs about 101% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,352 per month in Arlington, VA and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Arlington, VA and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Arlington, VA at $3,568. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montevideo costs $1,771 versus $3,568 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.