Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queens, NY and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
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Queens, NY Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,339 per month in Queens, NY vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Queens, NY $3,339
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $4,831 per month in Queens, NY vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Queens, NY $4,831
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $6,323 per month in Queens, NY vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Queens, NY $6,323
Montevideo $3,728

Queens, NY costs about 87% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Queens, NY and Montevideo sit above the global median – Queens, NY by 146%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$14.82 UYU 595

29.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$69.7 UYU 2,797

14.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$14.68 UYU 589

-11.17%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$4.65 UYU 186

32.90%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$2.74 UYU 110

-7.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-28.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 $9.25

$4.79 UYU 192

93.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$3.63 UYU 146

90.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.89 UYU 116

50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.70 UYU 68.1

254.12%

Eggs

$6.88 $6.88

$4.62 UYU 185

48.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 $13.73

$14.22 UYU 571

-3.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$11.62 UYU 466

-11.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 $19.51

$12.23 UYU 491

59.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.77 UYU 111

116.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.85 UYU 114

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.81 UYU 72.5

143.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.20 UYU 129

62.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.94 UYU 77.8

55.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.16 UYU 86.5

41.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.43 UYU 57.3

117.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.94 UYU 77.9

59.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.63 $14.63

$5.47 UYU 219

167.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$8.95 UYU 359

65.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-18.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.81 UYU 113

24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.56 UYU 62.6

88.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$73.8 UYU 2,962

76.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.90 UYU 76.2

55.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 UYU 17.36

416.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.49 $41.49

$10.59 UYU 425

291.78%

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)

$27.9K $27.9K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

3.95%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-30.97%

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

$175 $175

$193 UYU 7,727

-9.20%

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

$49.84 $49.84

$20.91 UYU 839

138.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$44.89 UYU 1,802

12.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 $45.68

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$19.73 UYU 792

242.73%

Cinema Ticket

$20.43 $20.43

$12.30 UYU 494

66.10%

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

$1,979 $1,979

$629 UYU 25.2K

214.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

48.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$104 UYU 4,166

-52.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 $81.0

$57.4 UYU 2,305

40.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$125 UYU 5,010

-31.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$132 UYU 5,315

-21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$713 UYU 28.6K

218.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$575 UYU 23.1K

224.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

403.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

186.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,775 $8,775

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

156.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,134 $6,134

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

248.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

191.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

5.74

18.47%

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

Last update for Queens, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 69.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Queens, NY

$464 13.9%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 28.2% $131

Eating Out

Queens, NY

$343 10.3%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 21.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queens, NY

$275 8.3%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 6.2% $17

Getting Around

Queens, NY

$156 4.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 46.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Queens, NY

$144 4.3%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 30.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Queens, NY

$87 2.6%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 12.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,272 in Queens, NY 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 191% higher in Queens, 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 $80.0 in Queens, NY versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $464 vs $334 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

1 h ahead of Queens, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,405,464

1,319,108 Capital

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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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Between locations

Queens, NY Montevideo 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Queens, 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

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

Yes – Queens, NY is pricier by about 87%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,008 per month in Queens, NY and $2,676 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 $1,979 per month in Queens, NY and $629 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Queens, 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 $1,784, than in Queens, NY at $3,339. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Queens, 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, Queens, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.