Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,057

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,057 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $2,057
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $3,104 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $3,104
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $4,150
Montevideo $3,708

Brownsville, TX costs about 16% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Brownsville, TX and Montevideo sit above the global median – Brownsville, TX by 52%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$15.16 UYU 609

30.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$69.2 UYU 2,776

6.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 $11.31

$14.65 UYU 588

-22.80%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.46 UYU 179

22.65%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$2.67 UYU 107

1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.83 UYU 194

25.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$3.80 UYU 152

92.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-34.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.87 UYU 115

-23.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.75 UYU 70.2

144.00%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$4.68 UYU 188

-39.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 $9.46

$13.88 UYU 557

-31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$11.98 UYU 481

-2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 $16.61

$11.97 UYU 480

38.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.78 UYU 111

75.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$2.74 UYU 110

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.77 UYU 71.2

141.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.24 UYU 130

46.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.97 UYU 79.2

41.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.07 UYU 83.1

44.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.37 UYU 55.1

52.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.88 UYU 75.3

17.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 $9.05

$5.59 UYU 224

61.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 $14.57

$8.78 UYU 352

65.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.75 UYU 110

23.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.53 UYU 61.5

16.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.91 UYU 76.7

53.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.40 UYU 16.18

327.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 $32.81

$10.33 UYU 415

217.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-60.09%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

14.69%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-31.63%

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

$201 $201

$188 UYU 7,557

6.74%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$20.54 UYU 824

262.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.8 $77.8

$44.81 UYU 1,798

73.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 $41.21

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-23.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$11.95 UYU 480

21.76%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$634 UYU 25.5K

120.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

102.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$102 UYU 4,099

-45.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 $38.23

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-33.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$127 UYU 5,079

-31.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$128 UYU 5,131

-14.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$719 UYU 28.8K

33.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$568 UYU 22.8K

40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

47.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 $1,396

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

36.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 $1,858

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-45.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-6.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

156.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

5.74

17.77%

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

Last update for Brownsville, TX: 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

Brownsville, TX

$796 38.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 28.7% $228

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$366 17.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 9.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$353 17.2%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 28.2% $100

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$322 15.6%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 16.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$131 6.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 42.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$70 3.4%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 10.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$19 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 353% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Brownsville, TX 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 157% higher in Brownsville, TX, 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 $74.0 in Brownsville, TX versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

03:46 3:46 AM

2 h ahead of Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brownsville, TX Montevideo 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brownsville, TX
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

Brownsville, TX vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, $1,771 in Montevideo – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,086 per month in Brownsville, TX 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 16%.

Kindergarten costs $1,400 per month in Brownsville, TX and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Brownsville, TX at $2,057. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brownsville, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,771 in Montevideo to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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