Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
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Ellicott City, MD Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,456

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,456 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,456
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $4,609 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,609
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $5,762 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,762
Montevideo $3,728

Ellicott City, MD costs about 94% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ellicott City, MD and Montevideo sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 155%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.95 $17.95

$14.82 UYU 595

21.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 $96.3

$69.7 UYU 2,797

38.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 $10.76

$14.68 UYU 589

-26.70%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$4.65 UYU 186

11.61%

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

$3.48 $3.48

$2.74 UYU 110

27.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.07 UYU 82.9

27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 $7.16

$4.79 UYU 192

49.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$3.63 UYU 146

125.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-16.55%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.89 UYU 116

41.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.70 UYU 68.1

130.00%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$4.62 UYU 185

1.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 $16.82

$14.22 UYU 571

18.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$11.62 UYU 466

12.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 $18.63

$12.23 UYU 491

52.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$2.77 UYU 111

113.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.85 UYU 114

-44.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.81 UYU 72.5

131.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.20 UYU 129

35.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.94 UYU 77.8

11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.16 UYU 86.5

21.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.43 UYU 57.3

65.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.94 UYU 77.9

16.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.63 $13.63

$5.47 UYU 219

149.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$8.95 UYU 359

75.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.26 UYU 90.8

18.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.81 UYU 113

11.39%

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)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.90 UYU 76.2

-6.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$0.43 UYU 17.36

211.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 $23.53

$10.59 UYU 425

122.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-55.66%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-14.93%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-34.40%

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

$205 $205

$193 UYU 7,727

6.60%

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

$51.0 $51.0

$20.91 UYU 839

143.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$44.89 UYU 1,802

77.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 $114

$50.8 UYU 2,038

124.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$12.30 UYU 494

20.81%

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

$1,971 $1,971

$629 UYU 25.2K

213.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.0K $35.0K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

221.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$104 UYU 4,166

-50.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 $90.6

$125 UYU 5,010

-27.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$132 UYU 5,315

-14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$713 UYU 28.6K

246.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,078 $2,078

$575 UYU 23.1K

261.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,963 $2,963

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

154.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,651 $2,651

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

156.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

46.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,995 $4,995

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

301.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.74

18.29%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 72.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$436 12.6%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 23.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$336 9.7%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 23.1% $77

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$315 9.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 14.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$144 4.2%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 47.6% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$140 4.1%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 34.5% $48

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 893% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,470 in Ellicott City, MD 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 301% higher in Ellicott City, MD, 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 $96.0 in Ellicott City, MD versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $334 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

20:30 8:30 PM

1 h ahead of Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Montevideo 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, MD
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

Ellicott City, MD vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 94%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,184 per month in Ellicott City, MD 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 Montevideo, 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 $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD and $1,784 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 94%.

Kindergarten costs $1,971 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $629 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,456. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.