Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
Montevideo $3,750

Madison, WI costs about 65% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Madison, WI and Montevideo sit above the global median – Madison, WI by 123%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$15.26 UYU 613

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$67.4 UYU 2,711

0.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$14.37 UYU 578

-9.05%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$4.64 UYU 187

21.34%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$2.73 UYU 110

15.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.09 UYU 84.0

21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$4.75 UYU 191

49.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$3.67 UYU 147

124.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-28.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.77 UYU 112

23.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.69 UYU 67.8

144.38%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$4.52 UYU 182

-20.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$14.17 UYU 570

5.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$12.07 UYU 485

10.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$12.16 UYU 489

64.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.87 UYU 116

65.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$2.75 UYU 110

-41.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.73 UYU 69.5

206.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.24 UYU 130

53.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.07 UYU 83.1

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.07 UYU 83.1

50.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.38 UYU 55.4

58.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.85 UYU 74.5

30.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$5.57 UYU 224

93.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$8.89 UYU 357

77.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.29 UYU 92.2

17.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.70 UYU 109

64.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.52 UYU 61.3

35.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-11.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.82 UYU 73.4

118.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.40 UYU 16.05

405.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$10.66 UYU 429

304.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-54.50%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

34.59%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-30.26%

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

$269 $269

$191 UYU 7,674

41.02%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$20.40 UYU 820

157.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$44.14 UYU 1,775

89.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$54.1 UYU 2,177

7.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$19.68 UYU 791

-46.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$12.33 UYU 496

23.84%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$613 UYU 24.7K

178.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

108.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$103 UYU 4,134

-38.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$124 UYU 5,000

-13.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$130 UYU 5,214

-6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$705 UYU 28.4K

153.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$575 UYU 23.1K

173.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

179.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

152.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

35.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

28.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

256.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

5.74

16.55%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: 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

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 63.4% $997

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 23.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 37% $150

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 19.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 20.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 11.4% $10

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 4.8% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI versus $705 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 257% higher in Madison, WI, 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 $68.0 in Madison, WI versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

2 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

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 = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madison, WI Montevideo 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in Madison, WI, $1,813 in Montevideo – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI and $2,720 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.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Montevideo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,705 per month in Madison, WI and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI 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 $1,813 in Montevideo to $2,994 in Madison, WI. 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, Madison, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.