Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Des Plaines, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Des Plaines, IL

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 Des Plaines, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL.

Montevideo $1,813
Des Plaines, IL $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL.

Montevideo $2,782
Des Plaines, IL $4,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL.

Montevideo $3,750
Des Plaines, IL $5,750

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 41% less than in Des Plaines, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 35% above, Des Plaines, IL 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$20.88 $20.88

-26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$89.5 $89.5

-24.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$12.87 $12.87

11.66%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$5.65 $5.65

-17.88%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$2.59 $2.59

5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$2.32 $2.32

-9.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$6.95 $6.95

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$8.02 $8.02

-54.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$0.95 $0.95

45.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.49 $3.49

-20.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$4.23 $4.23

-60.05%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$4.16 $4.16

8.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$14.67 $14.67

-3.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$13.02 $13.02

-7.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$18.95 $18.95

-35.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$4.75 $4.75

-39.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.63 $1.63

68.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$4.16 $4.16

-58.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.82 $4.82

-32.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.66 $2.66

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.74 $2.74

-24.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$2.15 $2.15

-35.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.41 $2.41

-23.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$10.65 $10.65

-47.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$14.86 $14.86

-40.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.55 $2.55

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.53 $3.53

-23.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$2.02 $2.02

-24.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

$60.8 $60.8

21.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$3.17 $3.17

-42.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$1.37 $1.37

-70.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$24.93 $24.93

-57.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.05 $1.05

111.43%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$35.9K $35.9K

-25.55%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.8K $24.8K

48.00%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$195 $195

-2.10%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$60.5 $60.5

-66.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$77.2 $77.2

-42.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$125 $125

-56.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

$40.72 $40.72

-51.67%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$15.16 $15.16

-18.67%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$1,545 $1,545

-60.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$23.5K $23.5K

-52.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$65.3 $65.3

57.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$51.0 $51.0

10.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$101 $101

23.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$123 $123

5.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$2,093 $2,093

-66.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$1,521 $1,521

-62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$3,861 $3,861

-70.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$2,536 $2,536

-59.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$3,174 $3,174

5.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$2,521 $2,521

-22.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$6,220 $6,220

-80.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.77

-15.21%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6% 164% $946

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14% 26% $86

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5% 26.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1% 30.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1% 17.8% $33

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6% 5.6% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2% 96.8% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Montevideo and $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 406% 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: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $419 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

18:51 6:51 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

60,675

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Montevideo Des Plaines, IL 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Des Plaines, IL

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 Des Plaines, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Des Plaines, IL differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($1,813 vs $3,073 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 406% lower in Des Plaines, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Des Plaines, IL 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 69% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.