Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Cruces, NM and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,067 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
Learn more

Las Cruces, NM Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,067

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $2,067
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $3,132 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $3,132
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $4,196 per month in Las Cruces, NM vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Las Cruces, NM $4,196
Montevideo $3,728

Las Cruces, NM costs about 16% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Las Cruces, NM and Montevideo sit above the global median – Las Cruces, NM by 53%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 $17.34

$14.82 UYU 595

17.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.20 $45.20

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-35.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$14.68 UYU 589

-17.23%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$4.65 UYU 186

24.30%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$2.74 UYU 110

-12.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.07 UYU 82.9

4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.31 $6.31

$4.79 UYU 192

31.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$3.63 UYU 146

151.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-44.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.89 UYU 116

24.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$1.70 UYU 68.1

121.18%

Eggs

$4.72 $4.72

$4.62 UYU 185

2.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 $13.56

$14.22 UYU 571

-4.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$11.62 UYU 466

3.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 $17.48

$12.23 UYU 491

42.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.77 UYU 111

57.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.85 UYU 114

-25.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.81 UYU 72.5

87.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.20 UYU 129

20.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.94 UYU 77.8

21.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.16 UYU 86.5

9.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.43 UYU 57.3

25.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.94 UYU 77.9

-5.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 $11.02

$5.47 UYU 219

101.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 $15.10

$8.95 UYU 359

68.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.26 UYU 90.8

8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.81 UYU 113

24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 UYU 62.6

-36.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.50 $38.50

$73.8 UYU 2,962

-47.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.90 UYU 76.2

23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.43 UYU 17.36

439.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-53.77%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

3.70%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-35.51%

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

$176 $176

$193 UYU 7,727

-8.57%

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

$57.0 $57.0

$20.91 UYU 839

172.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.4 $87.4

$44.89 UYU 1,802

94.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 $50.2

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-1.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.89 $10.89

$19.73 UYU 792

-44.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$12.30 UYU 494

-17.97%

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

$683 $683

$629 UYU 25.2K

8.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 $58.2

$104 UYU 4,166

-43.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.55 $31.55

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-45.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$125 UYU 5,010

-32.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$132 UYU 5,315

-22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 $966

$713 UYU 28.6K

35.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 $794

$575 UYU 23.1K

38.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 $1,725

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 $1,532

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

48.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,121 $2,121

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-37.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

11.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,589 $3,589

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

188.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.74

10.80%

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

Last update for Las Cruces, NM: 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

Las Cruces, NM

$794 38.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 27.6% $219

Groceries & Markets

Las Cruces, NM

$389 18.8%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 14.2% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Cruces, NM

$320 15.5%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 19.4% $62

Eating Out

Las Cruces, NM

$313 15.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 14% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Las Cruces, NM

$124 6%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 51.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Las Cruces, NM

$70 3.4%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 7.2% $5

Getting Around

Las Cruces, NM

$56 2.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 49.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $966 in Las Cruces, NM versus $713 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 188% higher in Las Cruces, NM, 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 $45.00 in Las Cruces, NM versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Las Cruces, NM vs $334 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

3 h ahead of Las Cruces, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,385

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Las Cruces, NM Montevideo 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Cruces, NM
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

Las Cruces, NM vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 16% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,101 per month in Las Cruces, NM and $2,676 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.

Kindergarten costs $683 per month in Las Cruces, NM and $629 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Las Cruces, NM, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Las Cruces, NM at $2,067. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Las Cruces, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montevideo costs $1,784 versus $2,067 in Las Cruces, NM. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Las Cruces, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.