Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McLean, VA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $3,046 in McLean, VA, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in McLean, VA
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McLean, VA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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McLean, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,046

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,046 per month in McLean, VA vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

McLean, VA $3,046
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $4,819 per month in McLean, VA vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

McLean, VA $4,819
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $6,593 per month in McLean, VA vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

McLean, VA $6,593
Montevideo $3,750

McLean, VA costs about 68% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both McLean, VA and Montevideo sit above the global median – McLean, VA by 127%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.20 $16.20

$15.26 UYU 613

6.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 $70.7

$67.4 UYU 2,711

4.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 $11.51

$14.37 UYU 578

-19.90%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$4.64 UYU 187

15.30%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$2.73 UYU 110

-13.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.74 $8.74

$4.75 UYU 191

84.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$3.67 UYU 147

174.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-2.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.77 UYU 112

49.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.69 UYU 67.8

31.36%

Eggs

$4.70 $4.70

$4.52 UYU 182

3.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.33 $17.33

$14.17 UYU 570

22.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$12.07 UYU 485

40.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 $18.48

$12.16 UYU 489

51.97%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.87 UYU 116

111.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.75 UYU 110

-38.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$1.73 UYU 69.5

182.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$3.24 UYU 130

79.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.07 UYU 83.1

39.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.07 UYU 83.1

81.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.38 UYU 55.4

94.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.85 UYU 74.5

43.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.02 $14.02

$5.57 UYU 224

151.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 $16.12

$8.89 UYU 357

81.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.29 UYU 92.2

44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.70 UYU 109

115.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.52 UYU 61.3

68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.82 UYU 73.4

118.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 $1.63

$0.40 UYU 16.05

307.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.34 $25.34

$10.66 UYU 429

137.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-59.01%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

34.08%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-26.92%

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

$213 $213

$191 UYU 7,674

11.85%

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

$76.5 $76.5

$20.40 UYU 820

274.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 $54.3

$44.14 UYU 1,775

23.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 $89.6

$54.1 UYU 2,177

65.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$18.20 $18.20

$12.33 UYU 496

47.61%

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

$1,932 $1,932

$613 UYU 24.7K

215.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K $42.2K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

281.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$103 UYU 4,134

-48.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 $43.98

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-21.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.5 $69.5

$124 UYU 5,000

-44.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 $66.1

$130 UYU 5,214

-49.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,822 $2,822

$705 UYU 28.4K

300.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$575 UYU 23.1K

178.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,954 $3,954

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

247.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,436 $3,436

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

238.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,759 $5,759

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

368.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.74

15.51%

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

Last update for McLean, VA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

McLean, VA

$1.6K 53.5%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 64.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

McLean, VA

$483 16.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 31.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McLean, VA

$344 11.5%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 25.8% $89

Eating Out

McLean, VA

$309 10.4%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 12.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

McLean, VA

$126 4.2%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 37.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

McLean, VA

$104 3.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 77.9% $81

Getting Around

McLean, VA

$22 * 0.8%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 274% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,822 in McLean, VA 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 369% higher in McLean, VA, 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 $71.0 in McLean, VA versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McLean, VA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

1 h ahead of McLean, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,115

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

McLean, VA Montevideo 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

McLean, VA
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

McLean, VA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,046 in McLean, VA, $1,813 in Montevideo – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,569 per month in McLean, VA 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,046 in McLean, VA and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 68%.

Kindergarten costs $1,932 per month in McLean, VA 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 McLean, VA at $3,046. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in McLean, VA 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 $3,046 in McLean, VA. 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, McLean, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.