Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Elgin, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Elgin, IL
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Elgin, IL Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,035 in Elgin, IL.

Montevideo $1,813
Elgin, IL $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $2,614 in Elgin, IL.

Montevideo $2,782
Elgin, IL $2,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $4,192 in Elgin, IL.

Montevideo $3,750
Elgin, IL $4,192

Living in Montevideo is roughly 75% more expensive than in Elgin, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Elgin, IL is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$19.93 $19.93

-23.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$59.5 $59.5

13.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$10.07 $10.07

42.70%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$3.90 $3.90

18.97%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$3.03 $3.03

-9.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$2.05 $2.05

1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$5.96 $5.96

-20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$4.92 $4.92

-25.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$0.89 $0.89

55.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$3.54 $3.54

-21.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$4.34 $4.34

-61.06%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.73 $3.73

21.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$11.35 $11.35

24.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$13.45 $13.45

-10.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$11.71 $11.71

3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$4.49 $4.49

-36.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.27 $1.27

116.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$2.57 $2.57

-32.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.22 $4.22

-23.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.99 $1.99

4.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.08 $2.08

-0.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.84 $1.84

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$2.37 $2.37

-21.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$10.79 $10.79

-48.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$15.56 $15.56

-42.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$2.62 $2.62

-12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$3.49 $3.49

-22.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$4.06 $4.06

-55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$2.02 $2.02

-80.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$28.28 $28.28

-62.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.04 $1.04

113.46%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$36.5K $36.5K

-26.78%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$24.9K $24.9K

47.37%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$99.4 $99.4

92.07%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$52.2 $52.2

-60.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$49.61 $49.61

-11.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$14.76 $14.76

-16.46%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$1,690 $1,690

-63.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$23.2K $23.2K

-52.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$39.27 $39.27

161.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$50.2 $50.2

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$100 $100

23.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$122 $122

6.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$2,175 $2,175

-47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$1,811 $1,811

-43.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$2,192 $2,192

52.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$2,211 $2,211

-12.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$3,971 $3,971

-69.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.69

-14.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Elgin, IL

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3% 11.7% $39

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1% 9.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1% 21.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3% 24.4% $45

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4% 83% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8% 62.6% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 223% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $59.0 in Elgin, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $332 vs $371, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

112,603

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

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Elgin, IL 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Elgin, 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 Elgin, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and leisure. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 223% lower in Elgin, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $613 in Montevideo versus $1,690 in Elgin, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Elgin, IL is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Elgin, 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 Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.