Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,371 a month against $4,950 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $42,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

239

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,950

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Maldonado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,950 in New York, NY versus $1,371 in Maldonado.

New York, NY $4,950
Maldonado $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,265 in New York, NY versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

New York, NY $7,265
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,581 in New York, NY versus $2,985 in Maldonado.

New York, NY $9,581
Maldonado $2,985

Living in New York, NY is roughly 261% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 267% above, Maldonado 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.65 $24.65

$14.94 UYU 600

64.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$54.8 UYU 2,198

121.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$13.58 UYU 545

2.43%

Cappuccino

$6.59 $6.59

$4.61 UYU 185

42.95%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$2.64 UYU 106

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.00 UYU 80.3

43.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$2.96 UYU 119

163.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$3.61 UYU 145

172.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.16 UYU 46.70

18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$2.74 UYU 110

70.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.54 $7.54

$1.69 UYU 68.0

346.15%

Eggs

$5.93 $5.93

$4.14 UYU 166

43.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$14.00 UYU 562

34.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$11.83 UYU 475

46.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.51 $18.51

$11.89 UYU 477

55.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.78 UYU 112

142.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.15 UYU 86.4

-2.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$1.77 UYU 71.1

242.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$3.20 UYU 129

110.63%

Potato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.02 UYU 81.0

100.50%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.09 UYU 84.1

109.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.44 UYU 57.8

100.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.87 UYU 75.2

39.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.72 $18.72

$5.56 UYU 223

236.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.06 $20.06

$7.99 UYU 320

151.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.32 UYU 93.1

40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.71 UYU 109

37.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.42 UYU 57.0

115.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$50.1 UYU 2,011

180.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$3.39 UYU 136

-10.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.41 UYU 16.27

424.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.82 $41.82

$9.89 UYU 397

322.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.14 UYU 85.8

-47.66%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

32.06%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$37.3K UYU 1.5M

-30.10%

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

$219 $219

$113 UYU 4,548

93.27%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$19.05 UYU 765

284.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.0 $72.0

$44.11 UYU 1,770

63.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$48.11 UYU 1,931

155.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.7 $67.7

$30.02 UYU 1,205

125.42%

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 $22.85

$12.36 UYU 496

84.87%

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

$3,333 $3,333

$488 UYU 19.6K

583.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$60.0K $60.0K

$6,539 UYU 262.4K

817.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$90.5 UYU 3,632

-16.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 $52.4

$36.90 UYU 1,481

41.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$123 UYU 4,931

-0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$120 UYU 4,796

11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,389 $4,389

$423 UYU 17.0K

938.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,130 $3,130

$318 UYU 12.8K

884.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,918 $8,918

$920 UYU 36.9K

869.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,354 $5,354

$590 UYU 23.7K

807.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$2,838 UYU 113.9K

583.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,806 $6,806

$1,546 UYU 62.0K

340.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,343 $5,343

$1,005 UYU 40.4K

431.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

36.40%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 13, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.1K 63.2%

Maldonado

$318 23.2% 89.8% $2.8K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$545 11%

Maldonado

$321 23.4% 41.2% $224

Eating Out

New York, NY

$404 8.2%

Maldonado

$256 18.7% 36.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.4%

Maldonado

$176 12.9% 51.5% $188

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.5%

Maldonado

$166 12.1% 3.3% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$168 3.4%

Maldonado

$73 5.3% 56.7% $96

Getting Around

New York, NY

$167 3.4%

Maldonado

$61 4.5% 63.2% $105

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,389 in New York, NY and $423 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays 431% 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: $122 in New York, NY vs $55.0 in Maldonado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $545 vs $321 per month, with Maldonado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

01:59 1:59 AM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

62,592

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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New York, NY Maldonado 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Maldonado

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 York, NY vs Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY and Maldonado differ by about 261% in total monthly costs ($4,950 vs $1,371 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 431% higher in New York, NY, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $4,389 in New York, NY versus $423 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,333 in New York, NY versus $488 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in New York, NY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,371 in Maldonado versus $4,950 in New York, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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, New York, NY and Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 261% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.