Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houghton, MI and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,736 in Houghton, MI, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Houghton, MI outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

124

Cost of Living Index in Houghton, MI
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Houghton, MI Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Houghton, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,736

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,736 in Houghton, MI versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

Houghton, MI $2,736
Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,593 in Houghton, MI versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

Houghton, MI $3,593
Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,449 in Houghton, MI versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

Houghton, MI $4,449
Montevideo $3,728

Living in Houghton, MI is roughly 53% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houghton, MI 102% above, Montevideo 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$14.82 UYU 595

-7.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.55 $39.55

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 $10.37

$14.68 UYU 589

-29.36%

Cappuccino

$4.13 $4.13

$4.65 UYU 186

-11.18%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.74 UYU 110

1.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$4.79 UYU 192

24.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.63 UYU 146

103.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-28.06%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.89 UYU 116

44.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.34 $6.34

$1.70 UYU 68.1

272.94%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$4.62 UYU 185

-14.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 $12.31

$14.22 UYU 571

-13.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.79 $10.79

$11.62 UYU 466

-7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.97 $10.97

$12.23 UYU 491

-10.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.77 UYU 111

83.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.85 UYU 114

-58.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$1.81 UYU 72.5

134.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.20 UYU 129

49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.94 UYU 77.8

44.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.16 UYU 86.5

39.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.43 UYU 57.3

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.94 UYU 77.9

-24.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$5.47 UYU 219

86.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.99 $14.99

$8.95 UYU 359

67.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-13.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.81 UYU 113

16.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.56 UYU 62.6

30.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.90 UYU 76.2

58.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.43 UYU 17.36

246.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.22 $29.22

$10.59 UYU 425

175.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-61.79%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

-6.20%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-31.39%

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

$280 $280

$193 UYU 7,727

45.60%

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

$57.6 $57.6

$20.91 UYU 839

175.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$44.89 UYU 1,802

53.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.96 $36.96

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-27.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$14.18 $14.18

$12.30 UYU 494

15.28%

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

$1,249 $1,249

$629 UYU 25.2K

98.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K $22.9K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

110.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 $53.7

$104 UYU 4,166

-48.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 $41.58

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-27.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$125 UYU 5,010

-30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$132 UYU 5,315

-18.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 $1,833

$713 UYU 28.6K

157.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 $1,484

$575 UYU 23.1K

157.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,318 $2,318

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

99.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,967 $1,967

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

90.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,546 $1,546

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-54.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,550 $1,550

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

-11.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,603 $2,603

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

109.22%

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 Houghton, MI: 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

Houghton, MI

$1.5K 54.2%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 61.2% $909

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houghton, MI

$407 14.9%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 36.5% $149

Groceries & Markets

Houghton, MI

$377 13.8%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 11.6% $44

Eating Out

Houghton, MI

$253 9.3%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 6.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Houghton, MI

$131 4.8%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 44% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Houghton, MI

$65 2.4%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 15.4% $10

Getting Around

Houghton, MI

$19 * 0.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 353% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,833 in Houghton, MI and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houghton, MI pays 109% 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: $40.00 in Houghton, MI vs $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $334, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houghton, MI

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

1 h ahead of Houghton, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Houghton, MI Montevideo 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Houghton, MI
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

Houghton, MI vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 109% higher in Houghton, MI, 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: $1,833 in Houghton, MI versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Houghton, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,736 per month in Houghton, MI versus $1,784 in Montevideo – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,784 in Montevideo versus $2,736 in Houghton, MI, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Houghton, MI. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montevideo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Houghton, MI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Houghton, MI 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 53% less than in Houghton, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.