Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,592 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Evanston, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,592
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Evanston, IL vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Evanston, IL $2,592
  • Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $4,449 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Evanston, IL $4,449
  • Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $6,305 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Evanston, IL $6,305
  • Montevideo $3,708

Evanston, IL costs about 46% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Evanston, IL and Montevideo sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 92%, Montevideo by 31%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.26 $21.26
$15.16 UYU 609
40.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.6 $85.6
$69.2 UYU 2,776
23.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.75 $12.75
$14.65 UYU 588
-12.97%
Cappuccino
$5.68 $5.68
$4.46 UYU 179
27.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 $2.68
$2.67 UYU 107
0.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$2.00 UYU 80.4
13.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.12 $7.12
$4.83 UYU 194
47.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.19 $8.19
$3.80 UYU 152
115.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.36 UYU 54.8
-23.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.93 $3.93
$2.87 UYU 115
36.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.32 $4.32
$1.75 UYU 70.2
146.86%
Eggs
$4.82 $4.82
$4.68 UYU 188
2.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.41 $14.41
$13.88 UYU 557
3.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.93 $14.93
$11.98 UYU 481
24.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.11 $20.11
$11.97 UYU 480
68.00%
Apples (1kg)
$5.33 $5.33
$2.78 UYU 111
91.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 $1.67
$2.74 UYU 110
-39.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.03 $4.03
$1.77 UYU 71.2
127.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.78 $4.78
$3.24 UYU 130
47.53%
Potato (1kg)
$2.68 $2.68
$1.97 UYU 79.2
36.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$2.07 UYU 83.1
37.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.37 UYU 55.1
53.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 $2.35
$1.88 UYU 75.3
25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.66 $10.66
$5.59 UYU 224
90.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.98 $14.98
$8.78 UYU 352
70.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.56 $2.56
$2.26 UYU 90.9
13.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 $3.39
$2.75 UYU 110
23.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.44 $2.44
$1.53 UYU 61.5
59.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.2 $75.2
$74.3 UYU 2,980
1.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.10 $4.10
$1.91 UYU 76.7
114.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.43 $1.43
$0.40 UYU 16.18
257.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$43.26 $43.26
$10.33 UYU 415
318.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.13 UYU 85.6
-53.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K $35.4K
$27.1K UYU 1.1M
30.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K $25.0K
$36.3K UYU 1.5M
-31.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$192 $192
$188 UYU 7,557
1.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$61.6 $61.6
$20.54 UYU 824
199.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.2 $72.2
$44.81 UYU 1,798
61.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$76.1 $76.1
$54.0 UYU 2,166
41.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$60.8 $60.8
$19.75 UYU 793
207.59%
Cinema Ticket
$14.83 $14.83
$11.95 UYU 480
24.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,516 $1,516
$634 UYU 25.5K
138.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.6K $31.6K
$11.1K UYU 443.6K
185.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.7 $64.7
$102 UYU 4,099
-36.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.8 $50.8
$57.5 UYU 2,309
-11.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 $108
$127 UYU 5,079
-14.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 $126
$128 UYU 5,131
-1.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,645 $1,645
$719 UYU 28.8K
128.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,118 $1,118
$568 UYU 22.8K
96.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,989 $3,989
$1,145 UYU 46.0K
248.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,954 $2,954
$1,023 UYU 41.1K
188.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.6K $14.6K
$3,392 UYU 136.1K
329.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.8K $12.8K
$1,949 UYU 78.2K
557.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Evanston, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,335 $5,335
$1,245 UYU 50.0K
328.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.77
5.74
17.94%

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

Last update for Evanston, IL: 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
Evanston, IL
$1.1K
Montevideo
$568 49.2% $550
Groceries & Markets
Evanston, IL
$441
Montevideo
$332 24.8% $110
Eating Out
Evanston, IL
$348
Montevideo
$269 22.7% $79
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Evanston, IL
$326
Montevideo
$254 22.1% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Evanston, IL
$157
Montevideo
$186 18.4% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Evanston, IL
$106
Montevideo
$78 26.4% $28
Getting Around
Evanston, IL
$96
Montevideo
$84 12.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,645 in Evanston, IL versus $719 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 329% higher in Evanston, IL, 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 $86.0 in Evanston, IL versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Evanston, IL
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
00:55 12:55 AM
02:55 2:55 AM
2 h ahead of Evanston, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
74,486
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Evanston, IL Montevideo 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Evanston, 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
Evanston, IL vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Evanston, IL and in Montevideo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,592 in Evanston, IL, $1,771 in Montevideo – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Evanston, IL compared to Montevideo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Evanston, IL and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Evanston, IL and Montevideo?
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.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 33% more in Evanston, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,500 per month?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Evanston, IL at $2,592. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Evanston, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Evanston, IL and Montevideo?
It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,771 in Montevideo to $2,592 in Evanston, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Evanston, IL or Montevideo safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Evanston, IL and Montevideo?
If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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