Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethesda, MD and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $3,165 in Bethesda, MD, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Bethesda, MD
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Bethesda, MD Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Bethesda, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,165

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,165 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $3,165
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $4,971 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $4,971
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $6,778 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $6,778
Montevideo $3,708

Bethesda, MD costs about 79% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bethesda, MD and Montevideo sit above the global median – Bethesda, MD by 134%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.08 $22.08

$15.16 UYU 609

45.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 $98.9

$69.2 UYU 2,776

43.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.91 $10.91

$14.65 UYU 588

-25.53%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$4.46 UYU 179

20.63%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$2.67 UYU 107

13.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.00 UYU 80.4

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$4.83 UYU 194

46.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$3.80 UYU 152

140.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.87 UYU 115

44.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.75 UYU 70.2

122.86%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$4.68 UYU 188

-0.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.60 $16.60

$13.88 UYU 557

19.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$11.98 UYU 481

29.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 $22.46

$11.97 UYU 480

87.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.78 UYU 111

96.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.74 UYU 110

-50.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.77 UYU 71.2

128.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.24 UYU 130

31.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.97 UYU 79.2

12.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.07 UYU 83.1

28.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.37 UYU 55.1

74.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.88 UYU 75.3

34.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.53 $10.53

$5.59 UYU 224

88.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.01 $18.01

$8.78 UYU 352

105.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-24.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.75 UYU 110

2.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.53 UYU 61.5

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 $101

$74.3 UYU 2,980

36.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$1.91 UYU 76.7

115.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$0.40 UYU 16.18

202.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.70 $24.70

$10.33 UYU 415

139.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-56.34%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-14.71%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-33.22%

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

$163 $163

$188 UYU 7,557

-13.35%

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

$39.56 $39.56

$20.54 UYU 824

92.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 $62.6

$44.81 UYU 1,798

39.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 $104

$54.0 UYU 2,166

93.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.41 $30.41

$19.75 UYU 793

53.97%

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 $16.16

$11.95 UYU 480

35.23%

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

$1,606 $1,606

$634 UYU 25.5K

153.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K $35.8K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

224.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 $54.8

$102 UYU 4,099

-46.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 $57.3

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-0.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$127 UYU 5,079

-19.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$128 UYU 5,131

16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 $2,340

$719 UYU 28.8K

225.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 $1,669

$568 UYU 22.8K

193.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,118 $4,118

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

259.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,299 $3,299

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

222.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,862 $5,862

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

72.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,456 $5,456

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

179.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,749 $8,749

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

602.93%

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 Bethesda, MD: 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

Bethesda, MD

$1.7K 52.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 66% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bethesda, MD

$457 14.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 27.4% $125

Eating Out

Bethesda, MD

$350 11.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 23% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethesda, MD

$265 8.4%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 4.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Bethesda, MD

$163 5.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 14.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bethesda, MD

$137 4.3%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 43% $59

Getting Around

Bethesda, MD

$124 3.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 31.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,340 in Bethesda, MD 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 603% higher in Bethesda, MD, 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 Bethesda, MD versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethesda, MD

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

1 h ahead of Bethesda, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,858

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

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Bethesda, MD Montevideo 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethesda, MD
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

Bethesda, MD vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bethesda, MD is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,747 per month in Bethesda, MD 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.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,165 in Bethesda, MD and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 79%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Bethesda, MD at $3,165. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethesda, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bethesda, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.