Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brainerd, MN and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brainerd, MN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
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Brainerd, MN Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,445 in Brainerd, MN versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Brainerd, MN $2,445
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,439 in Brainerd, MN versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Brainerd, MN $3,439
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,433 in Brainerd, MN versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Brainerd, MN $4,433
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Brainerd, MN is roughly 38% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brainerd, MN 81% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.72 $14.72

$15.16 UYU 609

-2.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.45 $37.45

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-45.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 $10.12

$14.65 UYU 588

-30.92%

Cappuccino

$1.93 $1.93

$4.46 UYU 179

-56.73%

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

$2.10 $2.10

$2.67 UYU 107

-21.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$4.83 UYU 194

23.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.80 UYU 152

58.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.87 UYU 115

11.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.75 UYU 70.2

94.29%

Eggs

$2.54 $2.54

$4.68 UYU 188

-45.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$13.88 UYU 557

-29.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 $9.71

$11.98 UYU 481

-18.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$11.97 UYU 480

8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.78 UYU 111

76.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.74 UYU 110

-58.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$1.77 UYU 71.2

251.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.24 UYU 130

52.78%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.97 UYU 79.2

93.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.07 UYU 83.1

71.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.37 UYU 55.1

45.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-7.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$5.59 UYU 224

115.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 $13.26

$8.78 UYU 352

51.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-24.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.75 UYU 110

28.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.53 UYU 61.5

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.39 $40.39

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-45.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.91 UYU 76.7

33.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.40 UYU 16.18

295.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.90 $30.90

$10.33 UYU 415

199.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-59.15%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

31.85%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-30.13%

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

$226 $226

$188 UYU 7,557

19.97%

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

$44.47 $44.47

$20.54 UYU 824

116.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$44.81 UYU 1,798

34.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.14 $42.14

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-21.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 $8.80

$11.95 UYU 480

-26.36%

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

$1,186 $1,186

$634 UYU 25.5K

86.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

152.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.57 $40.57

$102 UYU 4,099

-60.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 $60.5

$127 UYU 5,079

-52.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 $64.4

$128 UYU 5,131

-49.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 $1,612

$719 UYU 28.8K

124.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$568 UYU 22.8K

132.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 $2,516

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

119.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

110.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,373 $2,373

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-30.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

22.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

5.74

9.93%

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

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 54.1%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 57% $753

Groceries & Markets

Brainerd, MN

$353 14.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brainerd, MN

$331 13.5%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 23.3% $77

Eating Out

Brainerd, MN

$229 9.4%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 17.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 101% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.4%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 30.3% $18

Getting Around

Brainerd, MN

$59 2.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 43.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,612 in Brainerd, MN and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37.00 in Brainerd, MN vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $353 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

2 h ahead of Brainerd, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,722

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Highest

Between locations

Brainerd, MN Montevideo 9,800 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brainerd, MN
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

Brainerd, MN vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montevideo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,668 in Brainerd, MN and $2,656 in Montevideo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,612 in Brainerd, MN versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $37.00 in Brainerd, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,445 per month in Brainerd, MN versus $1,771 in Montevideo – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Brainerd, MN. 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, Brainerd, MN 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 38% less than in Brainerd, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.