Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in New Bedford, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

New Bedford, MA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,753
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Bedford, MA and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New Bedford, MA and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,753 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • New Bedford, MA $2,753
  • Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $3,820 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • New Bedford, MA $3,820
  • Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $4,887 per month in New Bedford, MA vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • New Bedford, MA $4,887
  • Montevideo $3,728

New Bedford, MA costs about 54% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New Bedford, MA and Montevideo sit above the global median – New Bedford, MA by 103%, Montevideo by 32%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.68 $19.68
$14.82 UYU 595
32.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.1 $59.1
$69.7 UYU 2,797
-15.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.95 $5.95
$14.68 UYU 589
-59.47%
Cappuccino
$4.11 $4.11
$4.65 UYU 186
-11.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 $2.31
$2.74 UYU 110
-15.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 $1.23
$2.07 UYU 82.9
-40.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.04 $6.04
$4.79 UYU 192
26.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.08 $4.08
$3.63 UYU 146
12.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.39 UYU 55.8
-27.34%
White Bread (500g)
$4.58 $4.58
$2.89 UYU 116
58.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$16.26 $16.26
$1.70 UYU 68.1
856.47%
Eggs
$6.42 $6.42
$4.62 UYU 185
38.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.57 $10.57
$14.22 UYU 571
-25.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.74 $10.74
$11.62 UYU 466
-7.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.16 $19.16
$12.23 UYU 491
56.66%
Apples (1kg)
$5.38 $5.38
$2.77 UYU 111
94.22%
Banana (1kg)
$4.47 $4.47
$2.85 UYU 114
56.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 $3.38
$1.81 UYU 72.5
86.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 $3.01
$3.20 UYU 129
-5.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 $2.22
$1.94 UYU 77.8
14.43%
Onion (1kg)
$2.41 $2.41
$2.16 UYU 86.5
11.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.75 $2.75
$1.43 UYU 57.3
92.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.94 UYU 77.9
48.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.07 $13.07
$5.47 UYU 219
138.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.85 $16.85
$8.95 UYU 359
88.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 $1.92
$2.26 UYU 90.8
-15.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 $2.84
$2.81 UYU 113
1.07%
🚌 Getting Around
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.56 UYU 62.6
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$73.8 UYU 2,962
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.12 $6.12
$1.90 UYU 76.2
222.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.20 $2.20
$0.43 UYU 17.36
411.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.59 UYU 425
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$2.12 UYU 85.2
-48.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K $28.2K
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
5.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K $26.6K
$37.0K UYU 1.5M
-28.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$181 $181
$193 UYU 7,727
-5.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.85 $36.85
$20.91 UYU 839
76.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.6 $58.6
$44.89 UYU 1,802
30.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.95 $28.95
$50.8 UYU 2,038
-42.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.73 UYU 792
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.43 $12.43
$12.30 UYU 494
1.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,133 $2,133
$629 UYU 25.2K
239.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$10.9K UYU 437.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$38.67 $38.67
$104 UYU 4,166
-62.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.01 $16.01
$57.4 UYU 2,305
-72.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.5 $99.5
$125 UYU 5,010
-20.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$132 UYU 5,315
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,869 $1,869
$713 UYU 28.6K
162.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,581 $1,581
$575 UYU 23.1K
174.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,615 $2,615
$1,164 UYU 46.7K
124.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,341 $2,341
$1,033 UYU 41.5K
126.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,418 UYU 137.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,760 UYU 70.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Bedford, MA
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,641 $4,641
$1,244 UYU 49.9K
273.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.42
5.74
-5.57%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Bedford, MA
$1.6K
Montevideo
$575 63.6% $1K
Groceries & Markets
New Bedford, MA
$478
Montevideo
$334 30.2% $144
Eating Out
New Bedford, MA
$277
Montevideo
$269 3% $8.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Bedford, MA
$277
Montevideo
$258 6.6% $18
Clothing & Footwear
New Bedford, MA
$69 *
Montevideo
$188 172% $119
Sport & Entertainment
New Bedford, MA
$54
Montevideo
$75 40.1% $22
Getting Around
New Bedford, MA
$17 *
Montevideo
$84 392% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $713 in Montevideo. 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 273% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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 $59.0 in New Bedford, MA versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $478 in New Bedford, MA vs $334 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
10:45 10:45 AM
11:45 11:45 AM
1 h ahead of New Bedford, MA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
92,538
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • New Bedford, MA Montevideo 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • New Bedford, MA
  • Montevideo

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
New Bedford, MA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than New Bedford, MA?
Yes – New Bedford, MA is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,130 per month in New Bedford, MA and $2,676 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in New Bedford, MA or in Montevideo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in New Bedford, MA and $70.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in New Bedford, MA and in Montevideo?
Groceries cost about 43% more in New Bedford, MA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in New Bedford, MA or in Montevideo?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in New Bedford, MA at $2,753. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Bedford, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is New Bedford, MA or Montevideo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, New Bedford, MA or Montevideo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Bedford, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

New Bedford, MA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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