Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,554 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
Learn more

Durham, NC Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Durham, NC versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Durham, NC $2,554
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,914 in Durham, NC versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Durham, NC $3,914
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,274 in Durham, NC versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Durham, NC $5,274
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Durham, NC is roughly 44% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham, NC 89% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.60 $15.60

$15.16 UYU 609

2.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$69.2 UYU 2,776

49.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 $10.06

$14.65 UYU 588

-31.33%

Cappuccino

$4.61 $4.61

$4.46 UYU 179

3.36%

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

$3.15 $3.15

$2.67 UYU 107

17.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.00 UYU 80.4

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.83 UYU 194

21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$3.80 UYU 152

83.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-13.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.87 UYU 115

72.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.75 UYU 70.2

154.29%

Eggs

$3.48 $3.48

$4.68 UYU 188

-25.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.27 $19.27

$13.88 UYU 557

38.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$11.98 UYU 481

40.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.16 $17.16

$11.97 UYU 480

43.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.78 UYU 111

106.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.74 UYU 110

-32.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.77 UYU 71.2

112.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$3.24 UYU 130

41.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.97 UYU 79.2

16.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.07 UYU 83.1

87.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.37 UYU 55.1

97.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.88 UYU 75.3

4.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.98 $7.98

$5.59 UYU 224

42.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.09 $15.09

$8.78 UYU 352

71.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.75 UYU 110

45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-0.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.28 $25.28

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-65.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.91 UYU 76.7

2.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$0.40 UYU 16.18

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-54.93%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

29.28%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-31.69%

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

$224 $224

$188 UYU 7,557

18.93%

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

$56.2 $56.2

$20.54 UYU 824

173.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 $70.9

$44.81 UYU 1,798

58.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.70 $49.70

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-7.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 $13.19

$11.95 UYU 480

10.38%

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

$1,542 $1,542

$634 UYU 25.5K

143.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.17 $44.17

$102 UYU 4,099

-56.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 $34.03

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-40.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$127 UYU 5,079

-27.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$128 UYU 5,131

5.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$719 UYU 28.8K

137.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 $1,220

$568 UYU 22.8K

114.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

122.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 $2,210

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

116.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,757 $2,757

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-18.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,680 $2,680

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

37.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,585 $4,585

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

268.35%

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 Durham, NC: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham, NC

$1.2K 47.8%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 53.5% $652

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$459 18%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 27.7% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$351 13.7%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 27.7% $97

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$274 10.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 1.9% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$137 5.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 35.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$76 3%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 2.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$36 1.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 132% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,710 in Durham, NC and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays 268% 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: $103 in Durham, NC vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h ahead of Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Durham, NC Montevideo 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham, 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

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

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Durham, 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 268% higher in Durham, 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: $1,710 in Durham, NC versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montevideo runs roughly 194% less than in Durham, NC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,542 in Durham, NC versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,554 in Durham, NC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Durham, 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 $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montevideo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Durham, 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 44% less than in Durham, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.