Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Montevideo $3,728

Fort Madison, IA costs about 43% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$14.82 UYU 595

33.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$69.7 UYU 2,797

9.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$14.68 UYU 589

-22.34%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$4.65 UYU 186

18.06%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$2.74 UYU 110

-4.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.79 UYU 192

27.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$3.63 UYU 146

103.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-24.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.89 UYU 116

19.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.70 UYU 68.1

152.94%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$4.62 UYU 185

-10.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$14.22 UYU 571

-11.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$11.62 UYU 466

-2.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$12.23 UYU 491

39.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.77 UYU 111

76.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.85 UYU 114

-44.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.81 UYU 72.5

133.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.20 UYU 129

50.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.94 UYU 77.8

46.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.16 UYU 86.5

36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.43 UYU 57.3

49.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.94 UYU 77.9

13.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$5.47 UYU 219

84.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$8.95 UYU 359

68.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.81 UYU 113

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.56 UYU 62.6

45.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.90 UYU 76.2

75.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.43 UYU 17.36

309.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$10.59 UYU 425

199.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-56.60%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-0.89%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-35.62%

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

$201 $201

$193 UYU 7,727

4.63%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$20.91 UYU 839

182.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$44.89 UYU 1,802

58.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$12.30 UYU 494

14.96%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$629 UYU 25.2K

128.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

117.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$104 UYU 4,166

-48.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-28.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$125 UYU 5,010

-29.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$132 UYU 5,315

-13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$713 UYU 28.6K

121.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$575 UYU 23.1K

123.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

117.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

107.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-29.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

47.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.74

14.46%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 55.3% $712

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 15.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 22.1% $73

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 16.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 40.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 8.7% $6

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 297% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $334 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

2 h ahead of Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fort Madison, IA Montevideo 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, IA
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

Fort Madison, IA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,784 in Montevideo – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, IA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $70.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,784 in Montevideo to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.