Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,711 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, TX Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,711

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,711 in Houston, TX versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Houston, TX $2,711
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,906 in Houston, TX versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Houston, TX $3,906
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,101 in Houston, TX versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Houston, TX $5,101
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 50% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Houston, TX 102% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.57 $20.57

$15.26 UYU 613

34.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$67.4 UYU 2,707

10.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 $10.26

$14.37 UYU 577

-28.60%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$4.64 UYU 186

14.66%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$2.73 UYU 110

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.09 UYU 83.9

8.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$4.75 UYU 191

28.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.67 UYU 147

122.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.77 UYU 111

18.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.69 UYU 67.7

139.64%

Eggs

$3.31 $3.31

$4.52 UYU 182

-26.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 $11.25

$14.17 UYU 569

-20.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$12.07 UYU 485

5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 $16.23

$12.16 UYU 488

33.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.87 UYU 115

40.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$2.75 UYU 110

-48.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.73 UYU 69.4

79.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.24 UYU 130

19.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.07 UYU 83.0

6.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.07 UYU 83.0

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.38 UYU 55.4

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.85 UYU 74.4

34.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.56 $9.56

$5.57 UYU 224

71.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 $14.44

$8.89 UYU 357

62.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.29 UYU 92.1

6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.70 UYU 108

12.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-15.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 $76.3

$73.7 UYU 2,958

3.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.82 UYU 73.3

56.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.40 UYU 16.02

267.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 $23.64

$10.66 UYU 428

121.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-56.76%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

33.24%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-26.54%

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

$213 $213

$191 UYU 7,662

11.44%

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

$61.1 $61.1

$20.40 UYU 819

199.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.6 $73.6

$44.14 UYU 1,772

66.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.98 $40.98

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-24.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.54 $20.54

$19.68 UYU 790

4.37%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$12.33 UYU 495

23.36%

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

$2,153 $2,153

$613 UYU 24.6K

251.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K $22.2K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

101.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.49 $49.49

$103 UYU 4,128

-51.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 $47.52

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-15.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$124 UYU 4,993

-17.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 $96.2

$130 UYU 5,207

-25.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,685 $1,685

$705 UYU 28.3K

138.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 $1,403

$575 UYU 23.1K

143.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,136 $3,136

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

175.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

117.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,381 $2,381

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

-28.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,855 $1,855

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

-4.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,353 $4,353

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

254.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

5.74

16.72%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: 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

Houston, TX

$1.4K 51.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 59% $828

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$374 13.6%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 11.1% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$347 12.6%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 26.5% $92

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$326 11.9%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 16.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$133 4.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 39.4% $53

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$92 3.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 8.8% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$71 2.6%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 10.4% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,685 in Houston, TX and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays 254% 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: $74.0 in Houston, TX vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

00:43 12:43 AM

2 h ahead of Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

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 = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Houston, TX Montevideo 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, TX
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

Houston, TX vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Houston, TX. 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 254% higher in Houston, TX, 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: $1,685 in Houston, TX versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Houston, TX. 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 $67.0 versus $74.0 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,711 in Houston, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Houston, TX. 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 $1,813 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montevideo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Houston, TX 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 50% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.