Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Orleans, LA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,732 in New Orleans, LA, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in New Orleans, LA
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New Orleans, LA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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New Orleans, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,732

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,732 per month in New Orleans, LA vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

New Orleans, LA $2,732
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $4,119 per month in New Orleans, LA vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

New Orleans, LA $4,119
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $5,506 per month in New Orleans, LA vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

New Orleans, LA $5,506
Montevideo $3,750

New Orleans, LA costs about 51% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New Orleans, LA and Montevideo sit above the global median – New Orleans, LA by 104%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.24 $26.24

$15.26 UYU 613

71.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$128 $128

$67.4 UYU 2,711

89.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$14.37 UYU 578

-16.28%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$4.64 UYU 187

20.04%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$2.73 UYU 110

9.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.09 UYU 84.0

2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$4.75 UYU 191

25.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$3.67 UYU 147

115.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.38 UYU 55.5

0.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.77 UYU 112

48.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$1.69 UYU 67.8

254.44%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$4.52 UYU 182

21.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$14.17 UYU 570

9.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$12.07 UYU 485

-16.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 $15.79

$12.16 UYU 489

29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.87 UYU 116

82.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.75 UYU 110

-39.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$1.73 UYU 69.5

213.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$3.24 UYU 130

76.54%

Potato (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.07 UYU 83.1

106.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.07 UYU 83.1

58.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.38 UYU 55.4

58.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.85 UYU 74.5

39.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$5.57 UYU 224

59.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.60 $16.60

$8.89 UYU 357

86.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.29 UYU 92.2

6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.70 UYU 109

45.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-16.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.68 $49.68

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-32.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.82 UYU 73.4

91.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.40 UYU 16.05

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.44 $34.44

$10.66 UYU 429

223.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-58.11%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

35.38%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-30.22%

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

$262 $262

$191 UYU 7,674

37.47%

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

$70.5 $70.5

$20.40 UYU 820

245.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$44.14 UYU 1,775

68.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 $50.3

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-7.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.64 $43.64

$19.68 UYU 791

121.75%

Cinema Ticket

$12.69 $12.69

$12.33 UYU 496

2.92%

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

$1,576 $1,576

$613 UYU 24.7K

157.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-7.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$103 UYU 4,134

-44.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 $43.27

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-22.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$124 UYU 5,000

-30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$130 UYU 5,214

-7.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 $1,827

$705 UYU 28.4K

159.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 $1,206

$575 UYU 23.1K

109.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,113 $3,113

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

173.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,030 $2,030

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

99.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,207 $5,207

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

55.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 $1,378

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-29.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,101 $4,101

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

233.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

5.74

16.03%

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

Last update for New Orleans, LA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Orleans, LA

$1.2K 44.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 52.3% $630

Groceries & Markets

New Orleans, LA

$444 16.4%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 25.1% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Orleans, LA

$407 15%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 37.3% $152

Eating Out

New Orleans, LA

$379 14%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 28.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

New Orleans, LA

$138 5.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 34.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

New Orleans, LA

$76 2.8%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 4.1% $3.1

Getting Around

New Orleans, LA

$66 2.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 26.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,827 in New Orleans, LA versus $705 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 234% higher in New Orleans, LA, 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 $128 in New Orleans, LA versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $444 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Orleans, LA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

2 h ahead of New Orleans, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,006

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New Orleans, LA Montevideo 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

New Orleans, LA
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 Orleans, LA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New Orleans, LA is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,098 per month in New Orleans, LA and $2,720 in Montevideo. 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,576 per month in New Orleans, LA and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in New Orleans, LA, 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 $1,813, than in New Orleans, LA at $2,732. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Orleans, LA 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, New Orleans, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.