Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medford, MA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $3,154 in Medford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medford, MA
🇺🇸 United States
$3,154
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,154 per month in Medford, MA vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Medford, MA $3,154
  • Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $4,274 per month in Medford, MA vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Medford, MA $4,274
  • Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $5,393 per month in Medford, MA vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Medford, MA $5,393
  • Montevideo $3,728

Medford, MA costs about 77% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medford, MA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Medford, MA by 133%, Montevideo by 32%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.19 $18.19
$14.82 UYU 595
22.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$96.1 $96.1
$69.7 UYU 2,797
37.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.11 $12.11
$14.68 UYU 589
-17.51%
Cappuccino
$5.43 $5.43
$4.65 UYU 186
16.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 $2.88
$2.74 UYU 110
5.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 $2.46
$2.07 UYU 82.9
18.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.97 $7.97
$4.79 UYU 192
66.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.22 $9.22
$3.63 UYU 146
153.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.39 UYU 55.8
-22.30%
White Bread (500g)
$4.04 $4.04
$2.89 UYU 116
39.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.45 $5.45
$1.70 UYU 68.1
220.59%
Eggs
$4.83 $4.83
$4.62 UYU 185
4.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.23 $11.23
$14.22 UYU 571
-21.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.22 $14.22
$11.62 UYU 466
22.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.78 $17.78
$12.23 UYU 491
45.38%
Apples (1kg)
$6.55 $6.55
$2.77 UYU 111
136.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 $1.73
$2.85 UYU 114
-39.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.62 $5.62
$1.81 UYU 72.5
210.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.44 $5.44
$3.20 UYU 129
70.00%
Potato (1kg)
$4.50 $4.50
$1.94 UYU 77.8
131.96%
Onion (1kg)
$4.03 $4.03
$2.16 UYU 86.5
86.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.89 $2.89
$1.43 UYU 57.3
102.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.96 $2.96
$1.94 UYU 77.9
52.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.37 $13.37
$5.47 UYU 219
144.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.66 $13.66
$8.95 UYU 359
52.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 $2.06
$2.26 UYU 90.8
-8.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.12 $4.12
$2.81 UYU 113
46.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.56 UYU 62.6
58.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 $88.6
$73.8 UYU 2,962
20.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.90 UYU 76.2
38.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 $1.78
$0.43 UYU 17.36
313.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.34 $28.34
$10.59 UYU 425
167.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 $1.03
$2.12 UYU 85.2
-51.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.3K $27.3K
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
2.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.0K $26.0K
$37.0K UYU 1.5M
-29.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$239 $239
$193 UYU 7,727
24.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$56.3 $56.3
$20.91 UYU 839
169.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$84.5 $84.5
$44.89 UYU 1,802
88.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.19 $45.19
$50.8 UYU 2,038
-10.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.73 UYU 792
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.28 $14.28
$12.30 UYU 494
16.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,818 $1,818
$629 UYU 25.2K
189.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.4K $29.4K
$10.9K UYU 437.3K
169.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.7 $57.7
$104 UYU 4,166
-44.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.35 $38.35
$57.4 UYU 2,305
-33.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.3 $81.3
$125 UYU 5,010
-34.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$100 $100
$132 UYU 5,315
-24.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,606 $1,606
$713 UYU 28.6K
125.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,682 $1,682
$575 UYU 23.1K
192.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,543 $2,543
$1,164 UYU 46.7K
118.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,123 $2,123
$1,033 UYU 41.5K
105.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,666 $2,666
$3,418 UYU 137.2K
-22.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,577 $2,577
$1,760 UYU 70.6K
46.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,244 UYU 49.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.64
5.74
15.68%

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

Last update for Medford, MA: 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
Medford, MA
$1.7K
Montevideo
$575 65.8% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Medford, MA
$458
Montevideo
$334 27.1% $124
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medford, MA
$380
Montevideo
$258 32% $121
Eating Out
Medford, MA
$327
Montevideo
$269 17.7% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Medford, MA
$125
Montevideo
$188 50.7% $63
Getting Around
Medford, MA
$110
Montevideo
$84 23.5% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Medford, MA
$74
Montevideo
$75 2.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,606 in Medford, MA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Medford, MA versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $334 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Medford, MA
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
06:15 6:15 AM
07:15 7:15 AM
1 h ahead of Medford, MA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
56,173
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 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medford, MA Montevideo 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medford, MA
  • 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
Medford, MA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Medford, MA?
Yes – Medford, MA is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,732 per month in Medford, MA and $2,676 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Medford, MA and in Montevideo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,154 in Medford, MA and $1,784 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 77%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 20% less in Montevideo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Medford, MA or in Montevideo?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Medford, MA at $3,154. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medford, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medford, MA or Montevideo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medford, MA or Montevideo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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