Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cary, NC and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,842 in Cary, NC versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Cary, NC $2,842
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,173 in Cary, NC versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Cary, NC $4,173
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,505 in Cary, NC versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Cary, NC $5,505
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Cary, NC is roughly 60% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cary, NC 111% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.35 $19.35

$15.16 UYU 609

27.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 $99.3

$69.2 UYU 2,776

43.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$14.65 UYU 588

-28.87%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$4.46 UYU 179

13.45%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$2.67 UYU 107

-23.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.83 UYU 194

-6.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$3.80 UYU 152

68.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-23.53%

White Bread (500g)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.87 UYU 115

91.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.75 UYU 70.2

253.14%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$4.68 UYU 188

-14.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 $17.74

$13.88 UYU 557

27.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$11.98 UYU 481

38.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$11.97 UYU 480

50.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$2.78 UYU 111

124.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.74 UYU 110

-29.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.77 UYU 71.2

111.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.90 $6.90

$3.24 UYU 130

112.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.97 UYU 79.2

64.97%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.07 UYU 83.1

101.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.37 UYU 55.1

116.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.88 UYU 75.3

26.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$5.59 UYU 224

79.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 $9.71

$8.78 UYU 352

10.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.26 UYU 90.9

3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.75 UYU 110

46.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.53 UYU 61.5

65.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.7 $78.7

$74.3 UYU 2,980

5.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

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)

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

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

$28.7K $28.7K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-20.96%

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

$179 $179

$188 UYU 7,557

-5.01%

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

$47.18 $47.18

$20.54 UYU 824

129.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$44.81 UYU 1,798

50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.8 $77.8

$54.0 UYU 2,166

44.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.88 $21.88

$19.75 UYU 793

10.78%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 $15.26

$11.95 UYU 480

27.70%

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

$1,455 $1,455

$634 UYU 25.5K

129.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$102 UYU 4,099

-35.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 $32.18

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-44.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$127 UYU 5,079

-5.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$128 UYU 5,131

7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 $1,904

$719 UYU 28.8K

164.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 $1,407

$568 UYU 22.8K

147.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

136.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

111.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,859 $2,859

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-15.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,643 $2,643

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

35.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,032 $6,032

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

384.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

5.74

11.85%

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

Last update for Cary, NC: 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

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 59.6% $839

Groceries & Markets

Cary, NC

$486 17.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 31.8% $155

Eating Out

Cary, NC

$298 10.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 9.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cary, NC

$294 10.3%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 13.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cary, NC

$160 5.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 16.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cary, NC

$108 3.8%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 28.1% $30

Getting Around

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 5.1% $4.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,904 in Cary, NC and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 385% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $99.0 in Cary, NC vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $486 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

11:56 11:56 AM

1 h ahead of Cary, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,987

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Cary, NC Montevideo 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cary, NC
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

Cary, NC vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 385% higher in Cary, NC, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,904 in Cary, NC versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,455 in Cary, NC versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,842 in Cary, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montevideo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cary, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cary, NC 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 60% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.