Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Ilmenau

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,071 in Ilmenau, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ilmenau outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Ilmenau
Learn more

Ilmenau Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Ilmenau

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Ilmenau

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 Ilmenau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,071 in Ilmenau.

Montevideo $1,771
Ilmenau $2,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,525 in Ilmenau.

Montevideo $2,740
Ilmenau $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,980 in Ilmenau.

Montevideo $3,708
Ilmenau $2,980

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 14% less than in Ilmenau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Ilmenau 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$10.96 €9.75

38.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$66.5 €59.2

3.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$11.27 €10.02

29.99%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.41 €3.04

30.79%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$4.26 €3.79

-37.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$7.97 €7.09

-74.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$4.41 €3.92

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.99 €4.44

-23.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.13 €1.01

20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.14 €1.90

34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$3.24 €2.88

-45.99%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.23 €2.87

44.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$14.33 €12.75

-3.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.24 €9.11

16.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$17.76 €15.79

-32.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.87 €2.55

-3.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.40 €1.24

95.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.50 €3.11

-49.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$3.82 €3.40

-15.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.11 €1.88

-6.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.36 €1.21

52.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.63 €1.45

-15.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.88 €0.78

113.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$9.22 €8.20

-39.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$6.22 €5.53

41.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.11 €0.99

103.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.48 €1.32

85.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$65.3 €58.1

13.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$5.23 €4.65

-63.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$4.21 €3.75

-90.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$43.78 €38.94

-76.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$2.14 €1.90

-0.47%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$32.3K €28.7K

-15.96%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$37.8K €33.6K

-3.97%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$675 €600

-72.10%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$27.38 €24.36

-24.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$34.08 €30.32

31.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$48.13 €42.81

12.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$13.20 €11.74

-9.47%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$454 €404

39.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$93.0 €82.8

9.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$31.50 €28.02

82.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$121 €107

4.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$113 €101

12.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$471 €419

52.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$455 €404

24.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$828 €737

38.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$3,254 €2,894

-61.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

3.95

45.32%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ilmenau: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Ilmenau

$455 22% 20% $113

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Ilmenau

$309 14.9% 6.8% $23

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Ilmenau

$243 11.8% 9.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Ilmenau

$736 35.6% 190% $483

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Ilmenau

$161 7.8% 13.4% $25

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Ilmenau

$92 * 4.4% 8.6% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Ilmenau

$75 3.6% 4.3% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $471 in Ilmenau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ilmenau pays 161% 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: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $67.0 in Ilmenau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $309 per month, with Ilmenau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇩🇪 Ilmenau

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

5 h ahead of Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

39,000

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Ilmenau 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Ilmenau

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 Ilmenau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Ilmenau differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $2,071 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 161% lower in Ilmenau. 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: $719 in Montevideo versus $471 in Ilmenau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $2,071 in Ilmenau – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Montevideo runs roughly 14% less than in Ilmenau. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,071 in Ilmenau, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Ilmenau. 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 Ilmenau 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 17% less than in Ilmenau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.