Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Detroit, MI and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,354 in Detroit, MI, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Detroit, MI
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Detroit, MI Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Detroit, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,354

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,354 per month in Detroit, MI vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Detroit, MI $2,354
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,508 per month in Detroit, MI vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Detroit, MI $3,508
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,661 per month in Detroit, MI vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Detroit, MI $4,661
Montevideo $3,750

Detroit, MI costs about 30% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Detroit, MI and Montevideo sit above the global median – Detroit, MI by 76%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 $17.68

$15.26 UYU 613

15.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 $63.3

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$14.37 UYU 577

-9.05%

Cappuccino

$5.74 $5.74

$4.64 UYU 186

23.71%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$2.73 UYU 110

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-4.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.75 UYU 191

72.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.19 $9.19

$3.67 UYU 147

150.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-24.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.77 UYU 111

26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.69 UYU 67.7

233.14%

Eggs

$3.98 $3.98

$4.52 UYU 182

-11.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$14.17 UYU 569

-6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$12.07 UYU 485

-7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$12.16 UYU 488

37.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.87 UYU 115

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.75 UYU 110

-44.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.73 UYU 69.4

157.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.24 UYU 130

48.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.07 UYU 83.0

24.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.07 UYU 83.0

49.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.38 UYU 55.4

71.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.85 UYU 74.4

31.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 $10.45

$5.57 UYU 224

87.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$8.89 UYU 357

77.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.29 UYU 92.1

31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.70 UYU 108

27.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.52 UYU 61.2

34.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$120 $120

$73.7 UYU 2,958

62.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.82 UYU 73.3

67.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.40 UYU 16.02

295.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 $23.88

$10.66 UYU 428

124.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-48.65%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

33.34%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-28.14%

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

$217 $217

$191 UYU 7,662

13.96%

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

$60.9 $60.9

$20.40 UYU 819

198.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$44.14 UYU 1,772

53.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.35 $33.35

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-38.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.60 $17.60

$19.68 UYU 790

-10.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.76 $11.76

$12.33 UYU 495

-4.62%

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

$1,382 $1,382

$613 UYU 24.6K

125.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.0K $32.0K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

189.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$103 UYU 4,128

-41.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 $41.58

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-25.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 $97.0

$124 UYU 4,993

-21.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$130 UYU 5,207

-10.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 $1,507

$705 UYU 28.3K

113.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$575 UYU 23.1K

62.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,848 $2,848

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

150.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 $1,725

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

69.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,037 $4,037

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

20.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,289 $1,289

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

-33.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,351 $3,351

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

172.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.74

13.07%

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

Last update for Detroit, MI: 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

Detroit, MI

$933 39.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 38.3% $357

Groceries & Markets

Detroit, MI

$412 17.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 19.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Detroit, MI

$346 14.7%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 26.3% $91

Eating Out

Detroit, MI

$329 14%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 17.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Detroit, MI

$142 6%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 30.9% $44

Getting Around

Detroit, MI

$139 5.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 39.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Detroit, MI

$57 2.4%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 38.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,507 in Detroit, MI 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 173% higher in Detroit, MI, 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 $63.0 in Detroit, MI versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $412 in Detroit, MI vs $332 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Detroit, MI

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

1 h ahead of Detroit, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

632,464

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

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Detroit, MI Montevideo 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Detroit, MI
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

Detroit, MI vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Detroit, MI costs about 30% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,531 per month in Detroit, MI 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Detroit, MI and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,354 in Detroit, MI and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Detroit, MI at $2,354. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Detroit, MI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montevideo costs $1,813 versus $2,354 in Detroit, MI. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Detroit, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.