Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jefferson City, MO and Montevideo

For one person, living costs are similar in Jefferson City, MO and in Montevideo: $1,858 and $1,784 a month, rent and utilities included.

Jefferson City, MO
🇺🇸 United States
$1,858
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,858 in Jefferson City, MO versus $1,784 in Montevideo.

  • Jefferson City, MO $1,858
  • Montevideo $1,784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,890 in Jefferson City, MO versus $2,756 in Montevideo.

  • Jefferson City, MO $2,890
  • Montevideo $2,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,922 in Jefferson City, MO versus $3,728 in Montevideo.

  • Jefferson City, MO $3,922
  • Montevideo $3,728

Living in Jefferson City, MO is roughly 4% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jefferson City, MO 37% above, Montevideo 32% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.97 $14.97
$14.82 UYU 595
1.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.52 $39.52
$69.7 UYU 2,797
-43.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.98 $9.98
$14.68 UYU 589
-32.02%
Cappuccino
$5.49 $5.49
$4.65 UYU 186
18.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 $2.04
$2.74 UYU 110
-25.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 $2.21
$2.07 UYU 82.9
6.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.39 $5.39
$4.79 UYU 192
12.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.34 $6.34
$3.63 UYU 146
74.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.91 $0.91
$1.39 UYU 55.8
-34.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.26 $3.26
$2.89 UYU 116
12.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.44 $4.44
$1.70 UYU 68.1
161.18%
Eggs
$4.26 $4.26
$4.62 UYU 185
-7.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.39 $4.39
$14.22 UYU 571
-69.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.71 $9.71
$11.62 UYU 466
-16.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.38 $13.38
$12.23 UYU 491
9.40%
Apples (1kg)
$4.31 $4.31
$2.77 UYU 111
55.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 $1.61
$2.85 UYU 114
-43.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.36 $4.36
$1.81 UYU 72.5
140.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 $4.28
$3.20 UYU 129
33.75%
Potato (1kg)
$3.21 $3.21
$1.94 UYU 77.8
65.46%
Onion (1kg)
$3.33 $3.33
$2.16 UYU 86.5
54.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.43 UYU 57.3
69.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 $1.96
$1.94 UYU 77.9
1.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.97 $7.97
$5.47 UYU 219
45.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.74 $12.74
$8.95 UYU 359
42.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 $1.94
$2.26 UYU 90.8
-14.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 $3.83
$2.81 UYU 113
36.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.08 $3.08
$1.56 UYU 62.6
97.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$73.8 UYU 2,962
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.43 $2.43
$1.90 UYU 76.2
27.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 $1.20
$0.43 UYU 17.36
179.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.8 $60.8
$10.59 UYU 425
474.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$2.12 UYU 85.2
-59.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K $35.7K
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
33.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$37.0K UYU 1.5M
-31.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 $204
$193 UYU 7,727
6.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$65.7 $65.7
$20.91 UYU 839
214.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.8 $69.8
$44.89 UYU 1,802
55.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$50.8 UYU 2,038
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.73 UYU 792
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.12 $15.12
$12.30 UYU 494
22.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,197 $1,197
$629 UYU 25.2K
90.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.2K $21.2K
$10.9K UYU 437.3K
94.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.3 $50.3
$104 UYU 4,166
-51.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.76 $42.76
$57.4 UYU 2,305
-25.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 $104
$125 UYU 5,010
-16.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$126 $126
$132 UYU 5,315
-5.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$887 $887
$713 UYU 28.6K
24.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$709 $709
$575 UYU 23.1K
23.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,774 $1,774
$1,164 UYU 46.7K
52.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,564 $1,564
$1,033 UYU 41.5K
51.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,537 $1,537
$3,418 UYU 137.2K
-55.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,743 $1,743
$1,760 UYU 70.6K
-0.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jefferson City, MO
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,915 $1,915
$1,244 UYU 49.9K
53.93%
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 Jefferson City, MO: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Jefferson City, MO
$709
Montevideo
$575 18.9% $134
Groceries & Markets
Jefferson City, MO
$341
Montevideo
$334 2.1% $7.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jefferson City, MO
$340
Montevideo
$258 24% $82
Eating Out
Jefferson City, MO
$272
Montevideo
$269 1.2% $3.3
Clothing & Footwear
Jefferson City, MO
$145
Montevideo
$188 29.8% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Jefferson City, MO
$30 *
Montevideo
$75 149% $45
Getting Around
Jefferson City, MO
$21 *
Montevideo
$84 305% $63

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 $887 in Jefferson City, MO and $713 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jefferson City, MO pays 54% 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 Jefferson City, MO vs $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $341 vs $334, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Jefferson City, MO
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
06:35 6:35 AM
08:35 8:35 AM
2 h ahead of Jefferson City, MO
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,079
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jefferson City, MO Montevideo 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jefferson City, MO
  • 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
Jefferson City, MO vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Jefferson City, MO?
Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Jefferson City, MO or Montevideo?
Average pay runs 54% higher in Jefferson City, MO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Jefferson City, MO and Montevideo?
Rent for a central apartment: $887 in Jefferson City, MO versus $713 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $1,197 in Jefferson City, MO versus $629 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Jefferson City, MO or in Montevideo?
Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $40.00 in Jefferson City, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Jefferson City, MO or in Montevideo?
At $1,784 in Montevideo versus $1,858 in Jefferson City, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Jefferson City, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Jefferson City, MO or Montevideo more family-friendly?
For families, Montevideo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jefferson City, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Jefferson City, MO or Montevideo?
Safety-wise, Jefferson City, MO 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Jefferson City, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Jefferson City, MO vs other spots: cost of living compared

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