Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $3,169 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,169

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,169 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,169
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $4,682 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,682
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $6,196 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Chicago, IL $6,196
Montevideo $3,750

Chicago, IL costs about 75% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chicago, IL and Montevideo sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 136%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.62 $21.62

$15.26 UYU 613

41.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 $91.2

$67.4 UYU 2,707

35.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.09 $13.09

$14.37 UYU 577

-8.91%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$4.64 UYU 186

24.57%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$2.73 UYU 110

-3.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.09 UYU 83.9

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.75 UYU 191

46.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$3.67 UYU 147

143.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-7.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.77 UYU 111

42.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.69 UYU 67.7

193.49%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$4.52 UYU 182

2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 $13.97

$14.17 UYU 569

-1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.37 $14.37

$12.07 UYU 485

19.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 $18.59

$12.16 UYU 488

52.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.87 UYU 115

87.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.75 UYU 110

-29.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.73 UYU 69.4

131.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.24 UYU 130

52.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.07 UYU 83.0

35.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.07 UYU 83.0

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.38 UYU 55.4

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.85 UYU 74.4

68.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.71 $15.71

$5.57 UYU 224

182.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$8.89 UYU 357

71.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.29 UYU 92.1

12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.70 UYU 108

28.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.52 UYU 61.2

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$73.7 UYU 2,958

0.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.82 UYU 73.3

77.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$0.40 UYU 16.02

257.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.33 $24.33

$10.66 UYU 428

128.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-43.69%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

34.15%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-29.28%

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

$195 $195

$191 UYU 7,662

1.96%

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

$69.0 $69.0

$20.40 UYU 819

238.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$44.14 UYU 1,772

40.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 $54.5

$54.1 UYU 2,174

0.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.80 $27.80

$19.68 UYU 790

41.26%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$12.33 UYU 495

44.69%

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

$1,513 $1,513

$613 UYU 24.6K

146.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K $31.1K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

181.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 $68.1

$103 UYU 4,128

-33.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 $51.6

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-7.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$124 UYU 4,993

-18.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$130 UYU 5,207

8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,437 $2,437

$705 UYU 28.3K

245.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 $1,662

$575 UYU 23.1K

188.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

307.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 $2,751

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

170.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 $4,036

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

20.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,677 $2,677

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

37.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,861 $4,861

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

295.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

5.74

17.94%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 65.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$450 14.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 26.1% $117

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$354 11.3%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 23.3% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.4%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 21.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$163 5.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 14% $23

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$95 3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 11.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 12.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,437 in Chicago, IL versus $705 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 295% higher in Chicago, IL, 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 $91.0 in Chicago, IL versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

03:23 3:23 AM

2 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

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 = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Chicago, IL Montevideo 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
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

Chicago, IL vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,169 in Chicago, IL, $1,813 in Montevideo – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,753 per month in Chicago, IL and $2,720 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 35% more in Chicago, IL, 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 $91.0 in Chicago, IL and $67.0 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 $1,813, than in Chicago, IL at $3,169. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL 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 $1,813 in Montevideo to $3,169 in Chicago, IL. 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, Chicago, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.