Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairfax, VA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $3,409 in Fairfax, VA, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Fairfax, VA
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Fairfax, VA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Fairfax, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,409

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,409 in Fairfax, VA versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Fairfax, VA $3,409
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,871 in Fairfax, VA versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Fairfax, VA $4,871
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,333 in Fairfax, VA versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Fairfax, VA $6,333
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Fairfax, VA is roughly 93% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fairfax, VA 153% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.62 $18.62

$15.16 UYU 609

22.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.7 $94.7

$69.2 UYU 2,776

36.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$14.65 UYU 588

-18.91%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$4.46 UYU 179

36.10%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$2.67 UYU 107

17.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.00 UYU 80.4

33.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 $6.84

$4.83 UYU 194

41.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$3.80 UYU 152

110.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.87 UYU 115

47.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$1.75 UYU 70.2

196.00%

Eggs

$5.44 $5.44

$4.68 UYU 188

16.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.00 $17.00

$13.88 UYU 557

22.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.50 $14.50

$11.98 UYU 481

21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.78 $18.78

$11.97 UYU 480

56.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.78 UYU 111

114.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.74 UYU 110

-16.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$1.77 UYU 71.2

227.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$3.24 UYU 130

74.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.97 UYU 79.2

45.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.07 UYU 83.1

86.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.37 UYU 55.1

72.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.88 UYU 75.3

40.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 $14.17

$5.59 UYU 224

153.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.38 $15.38

$8.78 UYU 352

75.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.26 UYU 90.9

15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.75 UYU 110

65.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.03 $5.03

$1.53 UYU 61.5

228.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.1 $70.1

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-5.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.91 UYU 76.7

56.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$0.40 UYU 16.18

260.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$10.33 UYU 415

131.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-51.17%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

34.24%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-29.27%

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

$207 $207

$188 UYU 7,557

10.10%

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

$67.0 $67.0

$20.54 UYU 824

226.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.9 $76.9

$44.81 UYU 1,798

71.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 $73.8

$54.0 UYU 2,166

36.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.45 $25.45

$19.75 UYU 793

28.86%

Cinema Ticket

$18.15 $18.15

$11.95 UYU 480

51.88%

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

$1,946 $1,946

$634 UYU 25.5K

206.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.4K $34.4K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

211.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$102 UYU 4,099

-47.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 $54.6

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-5.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 $92.2

$127 UYU 5,079

-27.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$128 UYU 5,131

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,439 $2,439

$719 UYU 28.8K

239.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,895 $1,895

$568 UYU 22.8K

233.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,506 $3,506

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

206.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,903 $2,903

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

183.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,545 $5,545

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

63.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,018 $4,018

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

106.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,577 $5,577

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

348.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

5.74

17.07%

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

Last update for Fairfax, VA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairfax, VA

$1.9K 55.6%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 70% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Fairfax, VA

$481 14.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 31.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairfax, VA

$351 10.3%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 27.8% $98

Eating Out

Fairfax, VA

$331 9.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 18.7% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Fairfax, VA

$140 4.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 32.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Fairfax, VA

$110 3.2%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 29.3% $32

Getting Around

Fairfax, VA

$100 2.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 16% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,439 in Fairfax, VA and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fairfax, VA pays 348% 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: $95.0 in Fairfax, VA vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $481 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairfax, VA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

1 h ahead of Fairfax, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,146

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

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Between locations

Fairfax, VA Montevideo 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairfax, VA
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

Fairfax, VA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Fairfax, VA. 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 348% higher in Fairfax, VA, 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: $2,439 in Fairfax, VA versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Fairfax, VA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $95.0 in Fairfax, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $3,409 in Fairfax, VA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Fairfax, VA. 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, Fairfax, VA 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 93% less than in Fairfax, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.