Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between California, MD and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,616 in California, MD, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

California, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,616

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,616 per month in California, MD vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

California, MD $2,616
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $3,733 per month in California, MD vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

California, MD $3,733
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $4,849 per month in California, MD vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

California, MD $4,849
Montevideo $3,728

California, MD costs about 47% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both California, MD and Montevideo sit above the global median – California, MD by 93%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.81 $24.81

$14.82 UYU 595

67.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$69.7 UYU 2,797

7.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 $9.93

$14.68 UYU 589

-32.36%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$4.65 UYU 186

28.60%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.74 UYU 110

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.07 UYU 82.9

17.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.79 UYU 192

6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 $7.80

$3.63 UYU 146

114.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-28.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.89 UYU 116

32.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.70 UYU 68.1

27.65%

Eggs

$3.97 $3.97

$4.62 UYU 185

-14.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 $11.81

$14.22 UYU 571

-16.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.61 $14.61

$11.62 UYU 466

25.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 $13.07

$12.23 UYU 491

6.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.77 UYU 111

57.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.85 UYU 114

-22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.81 UYU 72.5

141.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$3.20 UYU 129

109.38%

Potato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.94 UYU 77.8

125.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.16 UYU 86.5

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.43 UYU 57.3

37.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.94 UYU 77.9

3.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$5.47 UYU 219

62.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 $14.05

$8.95 UYU 359

56.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.81 UYU 113

70.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.56 UYU 62.6

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.4 $81.4

$73.8 UYU 2,962

10.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.90 UYU 76.2

60.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.43 UYU 17.36

227.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.46 $22.46

$10.59 UYU 425

112.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-55.66%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

24.90%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-37.63%

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

$98.2 $98.2

$193 UYU 7,727

-48.98%

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

$41.44 $41.44

$20.91 UYU 839

98.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.0 $62.0

$44.89 UYU 1,802

38.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.40 $39.40

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-22.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.91 $10.91

$19.73 UYU 792

-44.70%

Cinema Ticket

$18.19 $18.19

$12.30 UYU 494

47.89%

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

$1,875 $1,875

$629 UYU 25.2K

198.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

192.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 $53.9

$104 UYU 4,166

-48.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.77 $47.77

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-16.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$125 UYU 5,010

-31.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$132 UYU 5,315

-18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$713 UYU 28.6K

137.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 $1,338

$575 UYU 23.1K

132.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 $1,793

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

54.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 $1,887

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

82.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,716 $6,716

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

96.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,236 $6,236

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

254.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,062 $7,062

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

467.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

5.74

11.50%

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

Last update for California, MD: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

California, MD

$1.3K 51.2%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 57% $763

Groceries & Markets

California, MD

$406 15.5%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 17.8% $72

Eating Out

California, MD

$362 13.8%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 25.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

California, MD

$202 7.7%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 28.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

California, MD

$133 5.1%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 41.9% $56

Getting Around

California, MD

$100 3.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 16% $16

Sport & Entertainment

California, MD

$76 2.9%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,693 in California, MD versus $713 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 468% higher in California, 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 $75.0 in California, MD versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $406 vs $334 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 California, MD

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

00:54 12:54 AM

1 h ahead of California, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Between locations

California, MD Montevideo 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

California, 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

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

Yes – California, MD is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,925 per month in California, MD and $2,676 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 22% more in California, MD, 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 $75.0 in California, MD and $70.0 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 $1,784, than in California, MD at $2,616. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in California, 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, California, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.