Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

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

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Elgin, IL $1,035
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,614 in Elgin, IL versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Elgin, IL $2,614
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Elgin, IL versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Elgin, IL $4,192
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Elgin, IL costs roughly 43% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elgin, IL is 23% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$15.26 UYU 613

30.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-11.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$14.37 UYU 578

-29.92%

Cappuccino

$3.90 $3.90

$4.64 UYU 187

-15.95%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$2.73 UYU 110

10.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.75 UYU 191

25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.67 UYU 147

34.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-35.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.77 UYU 112

27.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.69 UYU 67.8

156.80%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$4.52 UYU 182

-17.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$14.17 UYU 570

-19.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$12.07 UYU 485

11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$12.16 UYU 489

-3.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$2.87 UYU 116

56.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$2.75 UYU 110

-53.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.73 UYU 69.5

48.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$3.24 UYU 130

30.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-3.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.07 UYU 83.1

0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.38 UYU 55.4

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.85 UYU 74.5

28.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$5.57 UYU 224

93.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$8.89 UYU 357

75.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.29 UYU 92.2

14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.70 UYU 109

29.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.82 UYU 73.4

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.40 UYU 16.05

405.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 $28.28

$10.66 UYU 429

165.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-53.15%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

36.58%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-32.14%

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

$99.4 $99.4

$191 UYU 7,674

-47.94%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$20.40 UYU 820

155.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.61 $49.61

$44.14 UYU 1,775

12.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$12.33 UYU 496

19.71%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$613 UYU 24.7K

175.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

109.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.27 $39.27

$103 UYU 4,134

-61.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$124 UYU 5,000

-19.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$130 UYU 5,214

-5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,175 $2,175

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

91.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

78.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,192 $2,192

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-34.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,211 $2,211

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

13.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,971 $3,971

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

223.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.74

16.55%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 10.5% $39

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 27% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 32.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 167% $49

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 490% $69

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 223% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Elgin, IL vs $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

2 h ahead of Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elgin, IL Montevideo 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, 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

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

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 223% higher in Elgin, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,690 in Elgin, IL versus $613 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Elgin, IL is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Elgin, IL 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 Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.