Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Waterloo, IA

For one person, living costs are similar in Montevideo and in Waterloo, IA: $1,771 and $1,795 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 Waterloo, IA
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Waterloo, IA Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Waterloo, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,795 in Waterloo, IA, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Waterloo, IA $1,795

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,528 in Waterloo, IA, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Waterloo, IA $2,528

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,261 in Waterloo, IA, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Waterloo, IA $3,261

Montevideo is about 1% cheaper than Waterloo, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montevideo and Waterloo, IA sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Waterloo, IA by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$16.07 $16.07

-5.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$56.6 $56.6

22.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.13 $9.13

60.46%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$5.83 $5.83

-23.50%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.72 $2.72

-1.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$2.03 $2.03

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.96 $3.96

21.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$8.16 $8.16

-53.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$0.99 $0.99

37.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.41 $2.41

19.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.66 $1.66

5.42%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.64 $3.64

28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$13.07 $13.07

6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$13.02 $13.02

-7.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$17.68 $17.68

-32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.73 $4.73

-41.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.61 $1.61

70.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$3.83 $3.83

-53.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$4.38 $4.38

-26.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.10 $1.10

79.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.16 $2.16

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.92 $1.92

-28.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.59 $1.59

18.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$7.91 $7.91

-29.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$13.83 $13.83

-36.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$2.69 $2.69

-15.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.79 $1.79

53.63%

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

$3.90 $3.90

-51.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.94 $1.94

-79.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$43.17 $43.17

-76.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$0.95 $0.95

124.21%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$35.3K $35.3K

-23.11%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$25.1K $25.1K

44.72%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$149 $149

26.57%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$53.2 $53.2

-61.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$60.6 $60.6

-26.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$27.11 $27.11

99.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$15.12 $15.12

-20.97%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$1,706 $1,706

-62.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$23.1K $23.1K

-52.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$19.78 $19.78

416.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$14.89 $14.89

286.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$60.4 $60.4

109.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$78.9 $78.9

61.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$860 $860

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$740 $740

-23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,368 $1,368

-16.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$943 $943

8.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,511 $1,511

124.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,473 $1,473

32.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$3,948 $3,948

-68.47%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Waterloo, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Waterloo, IA

$740 41.2% 30.3% $172

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Waterloo, IA

$362 20.2% 9.2% $30

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Waterloo, IA

$281 15.7% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Waterloo, IA

$263 14.6% 3.5% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Waterloo, IA

$78 4.4% 58% $108

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Waterloo, IA

$14 * 0.8% 83.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Waterloo, IA

$57 3.2% 26.3% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $860 in Waterloo, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 217% higher in Waterloo, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $57.0 in Waterloo, IA. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $362 in Waterloo, IA – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇺🇸 Waterloo, IA

🕒 Local time

16:19 4:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

67,314

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Waterloo, IA 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Waterloo, 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 Waterloo, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Waterloo, IA is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $2,693 in Waterloo, 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 $69.0 in Montevideo and $57.0 in Waterloo, IA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Waterloo, 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 $1,771, than in Waterloo, IA at $1,795. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Waterloo, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montevideo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Waterloo, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.