Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helena, MT and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $3,107 in Helena, MT, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Helena, MT
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Helena, MT Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Helena, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,107

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,107 in Helena, MT versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Helena, MT $3,107
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,494 in Helena, MT versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Helena, MT $4,494
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,882 in Helena, MT versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Helena, MT $5,882
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Helena, MT is roughly 71% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Helena, MT 132% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.52 $21.52

$15.26 UYU 613

41.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$67.4 UYU 2,711

50.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.96 $17.96

$14.37 UYU 578

24.98%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$4.64 UYU 187

7.54%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$2.73 UYU 110

-19.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-17.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.75 UYU 191

3.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$3.67 UYU 147

86.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-22.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.77 UYU 112

33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$1.69 UYU 67.8

163.31%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$4.52 UYU 182

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$14.17 UYU 570

24.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$12.07 UYU 485

-27.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 $20.13

$12.16 UYU 489

65.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.87 UYU 116

59.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.75 UYU 110

-33.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.73 UYU 69.5

167.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.24 UYU 130

22.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.07 UYU 83.1

3.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-25.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.38 UYU 55.4

19.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-15.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$5.57 UYU 224

86.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 $12.78

$8.89 UYU 357

43.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-26.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.70 UYU 109

-7.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.52 UYU 61.3

135.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-19.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 $10.03

$1.82 UYU 73.4

451.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 $3.33

$0.40 UYU 16.05

732.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.80 $44.80

$10.66 UYU 429

320.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-55.41%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

34.83%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-15.37%

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

$369 $369

$191 UYU 7,674

93.45%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$20.40 UYU 820

233.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.0 $93.0

$44.14 UYU 1,775

110.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 $52.0

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-3.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 $14.90

$19.68 UYU 791

-24.29%

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$12.33 UYU 496

-1.14%

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

$1,962 $1,962

$613 UYU 24.7K

220.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

149.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$103 UYU 4,134

-36.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 $120

$56.1 UYU 2,255

114.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 $81.0

$124 UYU 5,000

-34.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$130 UYU 5,214

-6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,756 $1,756

$705 UYU 28.4K

148.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 $1,547

$575 UYU 23.1K

168.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,940 $2,940

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

158.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 $2,450

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

141.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,548 $3,548

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

5.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,944 $2,944

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

51.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,710 $6,710

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

445.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.74

14.29%

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

Last update for Helena, MT: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helena, MT

$1.5K 49.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 62.8% $972

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helena, MT

$530 16.8%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 51.8% $275

Groceries & Markets

Helena, MT

$384 12.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 13.4% $52

Eating Out

Helena, MT

$340 10.8%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 20.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Helena, MT

$175 5.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 6.5% $11

Getting Around

Helena, MT

$100 3.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 16.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Helena, MT

$76 2.4%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 3.1% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,756 in Helena, MT and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helena, MT pays 446% 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: $101 in Helena, MT vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Helena, MT

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:10 4:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

3 h ahead of Helena, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,091

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Helena, MT Montevideo 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Helena, MT
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

Helena, MT vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helena, MT and Montevideo differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($3,107 vs $1,813 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 446% higher in Helena, MT, 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: $1,756 in Helena, MT versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,962 in Helena, MT versus $613 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Helena, MT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $3,107 in Helena, MT, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Helena, MT. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Helena, MT 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 71% less than in Helena, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.