Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ithaca, NY and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,941 in Ithaca, NY, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Ithaca, NY
Learn more

Ithaca, NY Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Ithaca, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,941

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,941 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $2,941
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $3,792 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $3,792
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $4,642 per month in Ithaca, NY vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Ithaca, NY $4,642
Montevideo $3,708

Ithaca, NY costs about 66% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ithaca, NY and Montevideo sit above the global median – Ithaca, NY by 118%, Montevideo by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 $22.16

$15.16 UYU 609

46.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$69.2 UYU 2,776

17.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 $11.22

$14.65 UYU 588

-23.41%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.46 UYU 179

13.00%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$2.67 UYU 107

0.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.00 UYU 80.4

1.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$4.83 UYU 194

1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 $9.29

$3.80 UYU 152

144.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-25.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.87 UYU 115

16.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.20 $7.20

$1.75 UYU 70.2

311.43%

Eggs

$4.10 $4.10

$4.68 UYU 188

-12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 $14.42

$13.88 UYU 557

3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$11.98 UYU 481

-43.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$11.97 UYU 480

27.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.78 UYU 111

70.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.74 UYU 110

-38.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.77 UYU 71.2

207.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.24 UYU 130

45.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.97 UYU 79.2

65.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.07 UYU 83.1

72.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.37 UYU 55.1

69.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.88 UYU 75.3

9.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$5.59 UYU 224

62.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 $14.03

$8.78 UYU 352

59.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.75 UYU 110

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.53 UYU 61.5

28.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.65 $45.65

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-38.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 $5.01

$1.91 UYU 76.7

162.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.40 UYU 16.18

255.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.94 $29.94

$10.33 UYU 415

189.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-50.23%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

34.14%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-30.98%

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

$164 $164

$188 UYU 7,557

-12.78%

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

$47.70 $47.70

$20.54 UYU 824

132.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 $51.0

$44.81 UYU 1,798

13.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.26 $35.26

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-34.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 $10.84

$11.95 UYU 480

-9.29%

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

$1,466 $1,466

$634 UYU 25.5K

131.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

52.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 $46.46

$102 UYU 4,099

-54.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.18 $40.18

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-30.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 $78.8

$127 UYU 5,079

-37.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$128 UYU 5,131

-16.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$719 UYU 28.8K

203.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 $1,714

$568 UYU 22.8K

201.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 $2,728

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

138.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 $1,844

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

80.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,196 $2,196

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-35.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,149 $2,149

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

10.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,464 $3,464

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

178.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

5.74

12.54%

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

Last update for Ithaca, NY: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ithaca, NY

$1.7K 58.3%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 66.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Ithaca, NY

$387 13.1%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 14.2% $55

Eating Out

Ithaca, NY

$333 11.3%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 19.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ithaca, NY

$263 8.9%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 3.5% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ithaca, NY

$122 4.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 52.4% $64

Getting Around

Ithaca, NY

$66 2.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 28.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ithaca, NY

$57 1.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 36.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,183 in Ithaca, NY versus $719 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 178% higher in Ithaca, NY, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Ithaca, NY versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ithaca, NY

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

00:20 12:20 AM

1 h ahead of Ithaca, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,283

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Ithaca, NY Montevideo 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ithaca, NY
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

Ithaca, NY vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,941 in Ithaca, NY, $1,771 in Montevideo – roughly 66% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,412 per month in Ithaca, NY and $2,656 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 $81.0 in Ithaca, NY and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,941 in Ithaca, NY and $1,771 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,771, than in Ithaca, NY at $2,941. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ithaca, NY 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 $1,771 in Montevideo to $2,941 in Ithaca, NY. 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, Ithaca, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.