Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,173 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,173

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,173 in Lexington, KY versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Lexington, KY $2,173
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Lexington, KY versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Lexington, KY $3,265
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Lexington, KY versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Lexington, KY $4,356
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 20% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, KY 62% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.14 $13.14

$15.26 UYU 613

-13.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 $57.5

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$14.37 UYU 578

-36.40%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$4.64 UYU 187

10.56%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$2.73 UYU 110

-7.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-1.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.75 UYU 191

5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 $5.97

$3.67 UYU 147

62.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.77 UYU 112

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.69 UYU 67.8

135.50%

Eggs

$3.68 $3.68

$4.52 UYU 182

-18.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 $10.19

$14.17 UYU 570

-28.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$12.07 UYU 485

-15.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 $14.52

$12.16 UYU 489

19.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.87 UYU 116

91.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.75 UYU 110

-44.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$1.73 UYU 69.5

217.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.24 UYU 130

36.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$2.07 UYU 83.1

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.07 UYU 83.1

48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.38 UYU 55.4

50.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.85 UYU 74.5

71.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.44 $8.44

$5.57 UYU 224

51.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 $13.02

$8.89 UYU 357

46.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.29 UYU 92.2

17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 $4.31

$2.70 UYU 109

59.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 $29.70

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-59.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.82 UYU 73.4

170.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-54.95%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

38.44%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-31.28%

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

$188 $188

$191 UYU 7,674

-1.41%

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

$106 $106

$20.40 UYU 820

420.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$44.14 UYU 1,775

68.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 $39.07

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-27.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.41 $30.41

$19.68 UYU 791

54.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 $15.25

$12.33 UYU 496

23.68%

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

$2,222 $2,222

$613 UYU 24.7K

262.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.9K $24.9K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

125.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$103 UYU 4,134

-50.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 $31.32

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-44.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$124 UYU 5,000

-5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$130 UYU 5,214

16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 $1,147

$705 UYU 28.4K

62.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 $929

$575 UYU 23.1K

61.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,058 $2,058

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

80.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

56.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,118 $2,118

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-36.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,077 $2,077

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

6.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,029 $4,029

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

227.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.74

18.82%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$929 42.3%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 38.1% $354

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$386 17.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 13.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$369 16.8%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 30.8% $114

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$249 11.3%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 8.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 17.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$70 3.2%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 13.3% $9.2

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 116% $45

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 $1,147 in Lexington, KY and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays 228% 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: $57.0 in Lexington, KY vs $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $386 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h ahead of Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

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 = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Montevideo 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Lexington, KY. 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 228% higher in Lexington, KY, 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: $1,147 in Lexington, KY versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $57.0 in Lexington, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,173 per month in Lexington, KY versus $1,813 in Montevideo – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,173 in Lexington, KY, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Lexington, KY. 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, Lexington, KY 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 20% less than in Lexington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.