Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $5,142 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $39,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

245

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$5,142

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $5,142 per month in New York, NY vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

New York, NY $5,142
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $7,455 per month in New York, NY vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

New York, NY $7,455
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $9,767 per month in New York, NY vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

New York, NY $9,767
Montevideo $3,750

New York, NY costs about 184% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Montevideo sit above the global median – New York, NY by 284%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.46 $26.46

$15.26 UYU 613

73.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$67.4 UYU 2,707

76.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.43 $14.43

$14.37 UYU 577

0.42%

Cappuccino

$6.55 $6.55

$4.64 UYU 186

41.16%

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

$3.84 $3.84

$2.73 UYU 110

40.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.09 UYU 83.9

43.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 $8.27

$4.75 UYU 191

74.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$3.67 UYU 147

173.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-5.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$2.77 UYU 111

76.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.16 $7.16

$1.69 UYU 67.7

323.67%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$4.52 UYU 182

30.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 $19.06

$14.17 UYU 569

34.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.38 $17.38

$12.07 UYU 485

43.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 $18.94

$12.16 UYU 488

55.76%

Apples (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$2.87 UYU 115

142.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.75 UYU 110

-24.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.73 UYU 69.4

252.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.24 UYU 130

114.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.07 UYU 83.0

92.27%

Onion (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.07 UYU 83.0

114.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.38 UYU 55.4

103.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.85 UYU 74.4

35.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.27 $19.27

$5.57 UYU 224

245.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.67 $19.67

$8.89 UYU 357

121.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.29 UYU 92.1

34.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.70 UYU 108

36.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.52 UYU 61.2

98.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$140 $140

$73.7 UYU 2,958

89.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.82 UYU 73.3

68.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.40 UYU 16.02

432.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$10.66 UYU 428

286.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-50.00%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

30.84%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-30.88%

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

$217 $217

$191 UYU 7,662

13.96%

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

$74.0 $74.0

$20.40 UYU 819

262.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.5 $72.5

$44.14 UYU 1,772

64.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$54.1 UYU 2,174

122.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 $66.9

$19.68 UYU 790

239.89%

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 $22.32

$12.33 UYU 495

81.02%

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

$3,425 $3,425

$613 UYU 24.6K

458.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$61.2K $61.2K

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

453.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 $76.3

$103 UYU 4,128

-25.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 $55.5

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-1.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 $119

$124 UYU 4,993

-4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$130 UYU 5,207

0.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,506 $4,506

$705 UYU 28.3K

538.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,155 $3,155

$575 UYU 23.1K

448.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$8,817 $8,817

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

674.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,532 $5,532

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

444.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.4K $19.4K

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

478.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,754 $6,754

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

247.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,290 $5,290

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

330.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

5.74

18.82%

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

Last update for New York, NY: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3.2K 63.2%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 81.8% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$546 11%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 39.1% $214

Eating Out

New York, NY

$422 8.5%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 35.8% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$364 7.3%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 29.8% $109

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$172 3.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 8.2% $14

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 49.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$165 3.3%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 52.3% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,506 in New York, NY 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 330% higher in New York, NY, 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 $119 in New York, NY versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $546 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

23:19 11:19 PM

1 h ahead of New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

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 = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Montevideo 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 184%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,714 per month in New York, NY 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 $3,425 per month in New York, NY 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 64% more in New York, NY, 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 York, NY at $5,142. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY 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 York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.