Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $3,160 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Denver, CO
🇺🇸 United States
$3,160
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,160 in Denver, CO versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

  • Denver, CO $3,160
  • Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,580 in Denver, CO versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

  • Denver, CO $4,580
  • Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,000 in Denver, CO versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

  • Denver, CO $6,000
  • Montevideo $3,750

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 74% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denver, CO 136% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.90 $19.90
$15.26 UYU 613
30.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$87.7 $87.7
$67.4 UYU 2,707
30.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.72 $11.72
$14.37 UYU 577
-18.44%
Cappuccino
$5.84 $5.84
$4.64 UYU 186
25.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 $3.00
$2.73 UYU 110
9.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 $2.29
$2.09 UYU 83.9
9.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.01 $7.01
$4.75 UYU 191
47.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$3.67 UYU 147
116.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.38 UYU 55.4
-15.94%
White Bread (500g)
$5.26 $5.26
$2.77 UYU 111
89.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$7.19 $7.19
$1.69 UYU 67.7
325.44%
Eggs
$5.24 $5.24
$4.52 UYU 182
15.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.13 $16.13
$14.17 UYU 569
13.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.04 $17.04
$12.07 UYU 485
41.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.89 $17.89
$12.16 UYU 488
47.12%
Apples (1kg)
$5.24 $5.24
$2.87 UYU 115
82.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 $2.07
$2.75 UYU 110
-24.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.88 $4.88
$1.73 UYU 69.4
182.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.34 $5.34
$3.24 UYU 130
64.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.63 $2.63
$2.07 UYU 83.0
27.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.07 UYU 83.0
34.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.38 UYU 55.4
64.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.49 $2.49
$1.85 UYU 74.4
34.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.41 $10.41
$5.57 UYU 224
86.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.12 $19.12
$8.89 UYU 357
115.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.29 UYU 92.1
21.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.60 $3.60
$2.70 UYU 108
33.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.71 $2.71
$1.52 UYU 61.2
78.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 $88.6
$73.7 UYU 2,958
20.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.51 $3.51
$1.82 UYU 73.3
92.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 $1.71
$0.40 UYU 16.02
327.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$30.38 $30.38
$10.66 UYU 428
184.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$2.22 UYU 89.0
-51.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K $34.8K
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
29.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
-30.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 $167
$191 UYU 7,662
-12.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$75.9 $75.9
$20.40 UYU 819
271.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.1 $69.1
$44.14 UYU 1,772
56.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.5 $61.5
$54.1 UYU 2,174
13.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.75 $24.75
$19.68 UYU 790
25.76%
Cinema Ticket
$14.82 $14.82
$12.33 UYU 495
20.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,416 $2,416
$613 UYU 24.6K
294.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$34.5K $34.5K
$11.0K UYU 443.6K
212.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.6 $71.6
$103 UYU 4,128
-30.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.65 $45.65
$56.1 UYU 2,251
-18.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 $103
$124 UYU 4,993
-17.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 $129
$130 UYU 5,207
-0.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,012 $2,012
$705 UYU 28.3K
185.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 $1,713
$575 UYU 23.1K
197.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,277 $3,277
$1,139 UYU 45.7K
187.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,619 $2,619
$1,016 UYU 40.8K
157.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,649 $5,649
$3,349 UYU 134.4K
68.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,760 $3,760
$1,942 UYU 78.0K
93.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Denver, CO
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,413 $4,413
$1,229 UYU 49.4K
258.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.9
5.74
20.21%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Denver, CO
$1.7K
Montevideo
$575 66.4% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Denver, CO
$498
Montevideo
$332 33.2% $165
Eating Out
Denver, CO
$337
Montevideo
$271 19.4% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Denver, CO
$312
Montevideo
$255 18.1% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Denver, CO
$157
Montevideo
$186 18.3% $29
Getting Around
Denver, CO
$111
Montevideo
$84 25% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Denver, CO
$91
Montevideo
$79 13.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,012 in Denver, CO and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays 259% 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: $88.0 in Denver, CO vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $498 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Denver, CO
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
19:18 7:18 PM
22:18 10:18 PM
3 h ahead of Denver, CO
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
715,522
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Denver, CO Montevideo 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Denver, CO
  • 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
Denver, CO vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Denver, CO or Montevideo?
Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Denver, CO. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montevideo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Denver, CO or in Montevideo?
Average pay runs 259% higher in Denver, CO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Denver, CO compared to Montevideo?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,012 in Denver, CO versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Denver, CO or in Montevideo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Denver, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Denver, CO and in Montevideo?
Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $88.0 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Denver, CO or in Montevideo?
At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $3,160 in Denver, CO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Denver, CO or Montevideo?
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.
How safe is Denver, CO compared to Montevideo?
Safety-wise, Denver, CO 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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