Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Montevideo

For one person, living costs are similar in Dubuque, IA and in Montevideo: $1,731 and $1,784 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Dubuque, IA
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Dubuque, IA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,731

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,731
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $2,538 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,538
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,345
Montevideo $3,728

Dubuque, IA is about 3% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dubuque, IA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Dubuque, IA by 28%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 $13.85

$14.82 UYU 595

-6.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.71 $49.71

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-28.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$14.68 UYU 589

-19.62%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.65 UYU 186

7.31%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$2.74 UYU 110

-26.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-54.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$4.79 UYU 192

-37.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.63 UYU 146

24.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-43.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.89 UYU 116

-6.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.70 UYU 68.1

65.88%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$4.62 UYU 185

-38.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$14.22 UYU 571

-1.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$11.62 UYU 466

-10.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$12.23 UYU 491

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.77 UYU 111

19.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.85 UYU 114

-57.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.81 UYU 72.5

80.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$3.20 UYU 129

-23.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.94 UYU 77.8

-29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-22.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.43 UYU 57.3

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.94 UYU 77.9

-7.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.70 $8.70

$5.47 UYU 219

59.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$8.95 UYU 359

49.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-25.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.81 UYU 113

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-57.08%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-8.44%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-32.34%

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

$176 $176

$193 UYU 7,727

-8.45%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$20.91 UYU 839

148.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$44.89 UYU 1,802

13.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 $36.87

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-27.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 $8.17

$12.30 UYU 494

-33.58%

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

$812 $812

$629 UYU 25.2K

29.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$104 UYU 4,166

-46.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 $35.65

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-37.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$125 UYU 5,010

-31.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 $88.7

$132 UYU 5,315

-33.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$713 UYU 28.6K

38.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 $725

$575 UYU 23.1K

25.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

26.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

16.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-49.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 $1,707

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

-3.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 $3,768

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

202.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.74

-8.54%

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

Last update for Dubuque, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubuque, IA

$725 41.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 20.6% $149

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$312 18%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 6.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$279 16.1%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 7.4% $21

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 14%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 11% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.9%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 57.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$53 3.1%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 41.6% $22

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Dubuque, IA versus $713 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 203% higher in Dubuque, IA, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dubuque, IA versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $334 – making Dubuque, IA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

2 h ahead of Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubuque, IA Montevideo 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, 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

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

Montevideo costs about 3% more than Dubuque, IA, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Dubuque, IA and $2,676 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dubuque, IA, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,731 in Dubuque, IA and $1,784 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $812 per month in Dubuque, IA and $629 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Dubuque, IA, where all-in costs run around $1,731, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Dubuque, IA it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dubuque, IA costs $1,731 versus $1,784 in Montevideo. 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 Dubuque, IA. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.