Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chapel Hill, NC and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,569 in Chapel Hill, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Chapel Hill, NC
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Chapel Hill, NC Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Chapel Hill, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,569

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,569 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Chapel Hill, NC $2,569
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,172 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Chapel Hill, NC $4,172
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,775 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Chapel Hill, NC $5,775
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Chapel Hill, NC is roughly 42% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chapel Hill, NC 92% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.64 $17.64

$15.26 UYU 613

15.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 $90.4

$67.4 UYU 2,711

34.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 $10.10

$14.37 UYU 578

-29.71%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$4.64 UYU 187

4.74%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$2.73 UYU 110

-26.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.75 UYU 191

24.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$3.67 UYU 147

86.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-35.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.77 UYU 112

48.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.69 UYU 67.8

205.92%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$4.52 UYU 182

2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$14.17 UYU 570

9.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$12.07 UYU 485

-13.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.96 $16.96

$12.16 UYU 489

39.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.87 UYU 116

96.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.75 UYU 110

-42.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.73 UYU 69.5

135.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.24 UYU 130

42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.07 UYU 83.1

25.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.07 UYU 83.1

56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.38 UYU 55.4

52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.85 UYU 74.5

7.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.23 $8.23

$5.57 UYU 224

47.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 $13.86

$8.89 UYU 357

55.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-27.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.70 UYU 109

-24.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.82 UYU 73.4

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 $0.64

$0.40 UYU 16.05

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-56.76%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

34.81%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-32.48%

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

$225 $225

$191 UYU 7,674

17.91%

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

$55.1 $55.1

$20.40 UYU 820

170.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$44.14 UYU 1,775

61.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.8 $76.8

$54.1 UYU 2,177

41.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 $13.32

$12.33 UYU 496

8.03%

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

$1,424 $1,424

$613 UYU 24.7K

132.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.36 $44.36

$103 UYU 4,134

-56.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.72 $34.72

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-38.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$124 UYU 5,000

-18.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$130 UYU 5,214

7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 $1,764

$705 UYU 28.4K

150.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$575 UYU 23.1K

124.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,864 $2,864

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

151.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,881 $2,881

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

183.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,668 $2,668

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-20.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,747 $2,747

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

41.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,362 $5,362

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

336.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.74

18.64%

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

Last update for Chapel Hill, NC: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chapel Hill, NC

$1.3K 49.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 55.4% $715

Groceries & Markets

Chapel Hill, NC

$403 15.6%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 17.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chapel Hill, NC

$351 13.6%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 27.3% $96

Eating Out

Chapel Hill, NC

$289 11.2%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 6.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chapel Hill, NC

$144 5.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 29.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chapel Hill, NC

$103 4%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 23.8% $25

Getting Around

Chapel Hill, NC

$5.2 * 0.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 1520% $78

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 $1,764 in Chapel Hill, NC and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chapel Hill, NC pays 336% 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: $90.0 in Chapel Hill, NC vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chapel Hill, NC

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

15:23 3:23 PM

16:23 4:23 PM

1 h ahead of Chapel Hill, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,960

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chapel Hill, NC Montevideo 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chapel Hill, 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

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

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Chapel Hill, NC. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montevideo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 336% higher in Chapel Hill, 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: $1,764 in Chapel Hill, NC versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Chapel Hill, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,569 per month in Chapel Hill, NC versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,569 in Chapel Hill, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Chapel Hill, NC. 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 $1,813 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montevideo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chapel Hill, 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 42% less than in Chapel Hill, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.