Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Fort Madison, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, 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
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
Learn more

Fort Madison, IA Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Fort Madison, IA $2,559

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $3,754 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Fort Madison, IA $3,754

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $4,950 in Fort Madison, IA, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Fort Madison, IA $4,950

Montevideo is about 30% cheaper than Fort Madison, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Montevideo and Fort Madison, IA sit above the global median – Montevideo by 32%, Fort Madison, IA by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$19.82 $19.82

-25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$76.2 $76.2

-8.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$11.40 $11.40

28.77%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$5.49 $5.49

-15.30%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.63 $2.63

4.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.98 $1.98

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$6.13 $6.13

-21.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$7.37 $7.37

-50.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.05 $1.05

32.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$3.45 $3.45

-16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$4.30 $4.30

-60.47%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$4.15 $4.15

11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$12.60 $12.60

12.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$11.33 $11.33

2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$17.07 $17.07

-28.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$4.89 $4.89

-43.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.58 $1.58

80.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$4.23 $4.23

-57.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$4.82 $4.82

-33.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$2.84 $2.84

-31.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$2.94 $2.94

-26.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$2.14 $2.14

-33.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$2.21 $2.21

-12.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$10.10 $10.10

-45.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$15.04 $15.04

-40.49%

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

$3.00 $3.00

-6.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$2.27 $2.27

-31.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$3.33 $3.33

-42.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.76 $1.76

-75.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$31.70 $31.70

-66.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$0.92 $0.92

130.43%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$26.6K $26.6K

0.90%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$23.8K $23.8K

55.34%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$201 $201

-4.43%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$59.0 $59.0

-64.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$71.0 $71.0

-36.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$41.05 $41.05

23.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$14.14 $14.14

-13.01%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$1,439 $1,439

-56.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$23.7K $23.7K

-54.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$53.8 $53.8

93.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$40.89 $40.89

40.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$88.0 $88.0

41.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$115 $115

15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$1,582 $1,582

-54.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$1,287 $1,287

-55.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$2,533 $2,533

-54.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$2,141 $2,141

-51.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$2,414 $2,414

41.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$2,589 $2,589

-32.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.57

-12.63%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3% 124% $712

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4% 17.9% $60

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6% 19.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13% 28.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2% 28.9% $55

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8% 74.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7% 8% $6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Montevideo versus $1,582 in Fort Madison, IA. 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 $70.0 in Montevideo versus $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $393 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

14:36 2:36 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

10,270

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Fort Madison, IA 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Fort Madison, IA

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 Fort Madison, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,784 in Montevideo, $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $3,838 in Fort Madison, IA. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montevideo and $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA 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 $1,784 in Montevideo to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. 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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.