Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,282 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,282 in Groningen versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Groningen $2,282
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Groningen versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Groningen $3,443
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,603 in Groningen versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Groningen $4,603
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Groningen is roughly 29% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Groningen 69% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.63

$15.16 UYU 609

30.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.0

$69.2 UYU 2,776

47.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.34 €13.65

$14.65 UYU 588

4.71%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$4.46 UYU 179

3.14%

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

$3.94 €3.50

$2.67 UYU 107

47.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$2.00 UYU 80.4

59.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$4.83 UYU 194

17.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$3.80 UYU 152

43.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.36 UYU 54.8

9.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.87 UYU 115

-8.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.75 UYU 70.2

49.14%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$4.68 UYU 188

-2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.31

$13.88 UYU 557

-8.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 €11.71

$11.98 UYU 481

9.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.17 €16.16

$11.97 UYU 480

51.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.78 UYU 111

7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.74 UYU 110

-12.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.77 UYU 71.2

41.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.23

$3.24 UYU 130

46.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.97 UYU 79.2

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-24.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-5.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-32.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 €12.86

$5.59 UYU 224

158.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$8.78 UYU 352

-25.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.22

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-38.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.75 UYU 110

-8.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.14 €3.68

$1.53 UYU 61.5

170.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 €60.0

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-9.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 €6.03

$1.91 UYU 76.7

254.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$0.40 UYU 16.18

582.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 €25.24

$10.33 UYU 415

174.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.13 UYU 85.6

18.31%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

54.76%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

7.69%

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

$230 €204

$188 UYU 7,557

21.89%

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

$20.48 €18.21

$20.54 UYU 824

-0.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.87 €43.47

$44.81 UYU 1,798

9.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 €34.78

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-27.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 €13.40

$19.75 UYU 793

-23.70%

Cinema Ticket

$16.69 €14.84

$11.95 UYU 480

39.67%

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

$1,756 €1,562

$634 UYU 25.5K

176.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,621 €6,779

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-31.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$102 UYU 4,099

2.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 €39.25

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-23.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$127 UYU 5,079

-18.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 €174

$128 UYU 5,131

53.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,194

$719 UYU 28.8K

86.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$568 UYU 22.8K

63.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

71.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,310

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

43.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,191 €4,618

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

53.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,906 €3,474

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

100.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 €2,691

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

143.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

5.74

-40.24%

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

Last update for Groningen: 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

Groningen

$931 40.8%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 39% $363

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 15.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 4.2% $14

Eating Out

Groningen

$328 14.4%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 17.9% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$299 13.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 15.1% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$202 8.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 7.6% $15

Getting Around

Groningen

$104 4.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 19.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$72 3.2%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 7.5% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,342 in Groningen and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 143% 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: $102 in Groningen vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

5 h behind Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Groningen Montevideo 11,510 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Groningen
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

Groningen vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Groningen. 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 143% higher in Groningen, 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: $1,342 in Groningen versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Groningen. 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 $102 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,282 in Groningen, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Groningen. 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, Groningen 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 29% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.