Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and McAllen, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in McAllen, TX: $1,771 and $1,788 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in McAllen, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX.

Montevideo $1,771
McAllen, TX $1,788

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,731 in McAllen, TX.

Montevideo $2,740
McAllen, TX $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $3,674 in McAllen, TX.

Montevideo $3,708
McAllen, TX $3,674

Living in Montevideo costs roughly 1% less than in McAllen, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, McAllen, TX 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$18.21 $18.21

-16.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$76.3 $76.3

-9.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.93 $7.93

84.74%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.53 $4.53

-1.55%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.44 $2.44

9.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.93 $1.93

3.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$4.97 $4.97

-2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.40 $5.40

-29.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$0.97 $0.97

40.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.94 $2.94

-2.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$4.36 $4.36

-59.86%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.37 $3.37

38.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$9.87 $9.87

40.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$12.58 $12.58

-4.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$15.09 $15.09

-20.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$5.14 $5.14

-45.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$2.39 $2.39

14.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.28 $3.28

-46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.06 $2.06

57.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.96 $2.96

-33.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.62 $2.62

-20.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.74 $1.74

-21.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$2.09 $2.09

-10.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$8.68 $8.68

-35.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$15.75 $15.75

-44.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.09 $2.09

8.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.22 $2.22

23.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$4.29 $4.29

-55.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.78 $0.78

-48.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.89 $0.89

139.33%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.0K $27.0K

0.40%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$23.5K $23.5K

54.63%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$164 $164

14.56%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$37.59 $37.59

-45.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$66.3 $66.3

-32.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$44.90 $44.90

20.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$12.23 $12.23

-2.29%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$908 $908

-30.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$78.5 $78.5

30.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$44.89 $44.89

28.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$74.2 $74.2

70.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$96.6 $96.6

32.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$816 $816

-11.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$669 $669

-15.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,342 $1,342

-14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,144 $1,144

-10.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,676 $1,676

102.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,700 $1,700

14.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$3,646 $3,646

-65.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

6.48

-11.42%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

McAllen, TX

$669 37.4% 17.8% $101

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

McAllen, TX

$364 20.4% 9.7% $32

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

McAllen, TX

$277 15.5% 2.9% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

McAllen, TX

$268 15% 5.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

McAllen, TX

$132 7.4% 28.9% $54

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

McAllen, TX

$8.2 * 0.5% 90.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

McAllen, TX

$69 3.9% 10.9% $8.5

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 $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays 193% 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 $76.0 in McAllen, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $364 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

142,210

💱 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

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Between locations

Montevideo McAllen, TX 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
McAllen, TX

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 McAllen, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and McAllen, TX differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $1,788 including rent). Montevideo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 193% lower in McAllen, TX. 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 $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $908 in McAllen, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $76.0 in McAllen, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in McAllen, TX. 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 McAllen, TX 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 1% less than in McAllen, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.