Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cedar Rapids, IA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,058 in Cedar Rapids, IA, 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 Cedar Rapids, IA
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Cedar Rapids, IA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cedar Rapids, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,058

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,058 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cedar Rapids, IA $2,058
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $3,080 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cedar Rapids, IA $3,080
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $4,101 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Cedar Rapids, IA $4,101
Montevideo $3,708

Cedar Rapids, IA costs about 16% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cedar Rapids, IA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Cedar Rapids, IA by 52%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.12 $15.12

$15.16 UYU 609

-0.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 $69.7

$69.2 UYU 2,776

0.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.84 $10.84

$14.65 UYU 588

-26.01%

Cappuccino

$5.81 $5.81

$4.46 UYU 179

30.27%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$2.67 UYU 107

4.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.63 $4.63

$4.83 UYU 194

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.80 UYU 152

54.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-48.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.87 UYU 115

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$1.75 UYU 70.2

168.57%

Eggs

$2.52 $2.52

$4.68 UYU 188

-46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$13.88 UYU 557

1.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$11.98 UYU 481

-8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$11.97 UYU 480

35.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.78 UYU 111

77.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.74 UYU 110

-59.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.77 UYU 71.2

197.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.24 UYU 130

41.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.97 UYU 79.2

31.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.07 UYU 83.1

7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.37 UYU 55.1

46.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.88 UYU 75.3

18.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 $10.01

$5.59 UYU 224

79.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 $10.82

$8.78 UYU 352

23.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.75 UYU 110

18.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.53 UYU 61.5

11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.20 $30.20

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-59.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.91 UYU 76.7

82.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$0.40 UYU 16.18

360.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.60 $45.60

$10.33 UYU 415

341.43%

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)

$36.1K $36.1K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

33.31%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-26.72%

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

$208 $208

$188 UYU 7,557

10.22%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$20.54 UYU 824

153.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$44.81 UYU 1,798

56.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 $102

$54.0 UYU 2,166

89.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.05 $19.05

$19.75 UYU 793

-3.54%

Cinema Ticket

$12.77 $12.77

$11.95 UYU 480

6.86%

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

$893 $893

$634 UYU 25.5K

40.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

15.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 $62.5

$102 UYU 4,099

-38.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 $63.5

$57.5 UYU 2,309

10.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 $128

$127 UYU 5,079

0.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$128 UYU 5,131

18.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$719 UYU 28.8K

58.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 $724

$568 UYU 22.8K

27.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 $1,637

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

42.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 $1,194

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

16.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,582 $1,582

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-53.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,547 $1,547

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-20.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,682 $3,682

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

195.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.74

15.51%

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

Last update for Cedar Rapids, IA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cedar Rapids, IA

$724 35.2%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 21.5% $156

Groceries & Markets

Cedar Rapids, IA

$367 17.9%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 9.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cedar Rapids, IA

$330 16%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 23.1% $76

Eating Out

Cedar Rapids, IA

$277 13.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 2.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cedar Rapids, IA

$183 8.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 2.1% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cedar Rapids, IA

$128 6.2%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 39.2% $50

Getting Around

Cedar Rapids, IA

$50 2.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 69.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,141 in Cedar Rapids, IA 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 196% higher in Cedar Rapids, IA, 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 $70.0 in Cedar Rapids, IA versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cedar Rapids, IA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

2 h ahead of Cedar Rapids, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

137,710

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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Between locations

Cedar Rapids, IA Montevideo 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cedar Rapids, IA
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

Cedar Rapids, IA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cedar Rapids, IA is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,087 per month in Cedar Rapids, IA 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.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Cedar Rapids, IA, 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 $70.0 in Cedar Rapids, IA and $69.0 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 $1,771, than in Cedar Rapids, IA at $2,058. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cedar Rapids, IA 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, Cedar Rapids, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.