Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and California, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,616 in California, MD, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in California, MD
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California, MD Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

California, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in California, MD

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montevideo and in California, MD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $2,616 in California, MD, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
California, MD $2,616

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $3,733 in California, MD, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
California, MD $3,733

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $4,849 in California, MD, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
California, MD $4,849

Montevideo is about 32% cheaper than California, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and California, MD sit above the global median – Montevideo by 32%, California, MD by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$24.81 $24.81

-40.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$75.1 $75.1

-7.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$9.93 $9.93

47.83%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$5.98 $5.98

-22.24%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.73 $2.73

0.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$2.44 $2.44

-15.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$5.10 $5.10

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$7.80 $7.80

-53.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.00 $1.00

39.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$3.83 $3.83

-24.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$2.17 $2.17

-21.66%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$3.97 $3.97

16.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$11.81 $11.81

20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$14.61 $14.61

-20.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$13.07 $13.07

-6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$4.37 $4.37

-36.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$2.21 $2.21

28.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$4.38 $4.38

-58.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$6.70 $6.70

-52.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$4.37 $4.37

-55.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$3.94 $3.94

-45.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.97 $1.97

-27.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$2.01 $2.01

-3.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$8.89 $8.89

-38.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$14.05 $14.05

-36.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.68 $1.68

34.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$4.80 $4.80

-41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$2.16 $2.16

-27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

$81.4 $81.4

-9.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$3.05 $3.05

-37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.41 $1.41

-69.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$22.46 $22.46

-52.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$0.94 $0.94

125.53%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$33.5K $33.5K

-19.93%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$23.1K $23.1K

60.32%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$98.2 $98.2

96.01%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$41.44 $41.44

-49.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$62.0 $62.0

-27.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$39.40 $39.40

28.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

$10.91 $10.91

80.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$18.19 $18.19

-32.38%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$1,875 $1,875

-66.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$31.9K $31.9K

-65.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$53.9 $53.9

92.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$47.77 $47.77

20.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$85.3 $85.3

46.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$108 $108

22.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$1,693 $1,693

-57.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$1,338 $1,338

-57.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,793 $1,793

-35.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$1,887 $1,887

-45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$6,716 $6,716

-49.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$6,236 $6,236

-71.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

$7,062 $7,062

-82.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.4

-10.31%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for California, MD: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

California, MD

$1.3K 51.2% 133% $763

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

California, MD

$406 15.5% 21.7% $72

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

California, MD

$362 13.8% 34.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

California, MD

$202 7.7% 21.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

California, MD

$133 5.1% 29.5% $56

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

California, MD

$100 3.8% 19.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

California, MD

$76 2.9% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Montevideo versus $1,693 in California, MD. 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 468% higher in California, MD, 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 $70.0 in Montevideo versus $75.0 in California, MD. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $406 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 California, MD

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

00:41 12:41 AM

1 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

13,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo California, MD 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
California, MD

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

Montevideo vs California, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – California, MD is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $3,925 in California, MD. 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.

Groceries cost about 22% more in California, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montevideo and $75.0 in California, MD. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in California, MD at $2,616. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in California, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, California, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.