Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester, NY and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,314 in Rochester, NY, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Rochester, NY
Learn more

Rochester, NY Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

Jump to prices

Rochester, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,314

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,314 per month in Rochester, NY vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Rochester, NY $2,314
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,586 per month in Rochester, NY vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Rochester, NY $3,586
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,858 per month in Rochester, NY vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Rochester, NY $4,858
Montevideo $3,750

Rochester, NY costs about 28% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Rochester, NY and Montevideo sit above the global median – Rochester, NY by 73%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 $22.76

$15.26 UYU 613

49.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$67.4 UYU 2,711

10.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$14.37 UYU 578

-29.85%

Cappuccino

$5.41 $5.41

$4.64 UYU 187

16.59%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$2.73 UYU 110

5.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.09 UYU 84.0

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 $4.52

$4.75 UYU 191

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 $5.83

$3.67 UYU 147

58.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-46.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.77 UYU 112

23.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$1.69 UYU 67.8

224.85%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$4.52 UYU 182

-15.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 $10.73

$14.17 UYU 570

-24.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$12.07 UYU 485

-33.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$12.16 UYU 489

23.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.87 UYU 116

35.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.75 UYU 110

-55.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.73 UYU 69.5

216.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$3.24 UYU 130

50.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.07 UYU 83.1

79.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.07 UYU 83.1

100.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.38 UYU 55.4

54.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.85 UYU 74.5

14.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.79 $14.79

$5.57 UYU 224

165.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 $10.05

$8.89 UYU 357

13.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.29 UYU 92.2

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.70 UYU 109

34.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.52 UYU 61.3

32.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.46 $45.46

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-38.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.82 UYU 73.4

34.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.40 UYU 16.05

352.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.82 $20.82

$10.66 UYU 429

95.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-52.25%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

31.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-26.02%

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

$146 $146

$191 UYU 7,674

-23.57%

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

$51.8 $51.8

$20.40 UYU 820

153.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$44.14 UYU 1,775

63.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.06 $44.06

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-18.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.39 $45.39

$19.68 UYU 791

130.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 $13.73

$12.33 UYU 496

11.35%

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

$1,379 $1,379

$613 UYU 24.7K

125.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K $29.4K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

165.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.94 $40.94

$103 UYU 4,134

-60.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.37 $33.37

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-40.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 $82.9

$124 UYU 5,000

-33.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 $87.0

$130 UYU 5,214

-32.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 $1,367

$705 UYU 28.4K

93.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$575 UYU 23.1K

101.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 $2,294

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

101.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 $2,041

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

100.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,437 $1,437

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-57.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 $1,445

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-25.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,953 $3,953

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

221.62%

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 Rochester, NY: 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

Rochester, NY

$1.2K 48.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 50.3% $582

Groceries & Markets

Rochester, NY

$362 15.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 8.2% $30

Eating Out

Rochester, NY

$333 14.1%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 18.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester, NY

$270 11.4%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 5.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester, NY

$110 4.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 69% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester, NY

$72 3%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 10.2% $7.3

Getting Around

Rochester, NY

$65 2.7%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 28.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,367 in Rochester, 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 222% higher in Rochester, 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 $74.0 in Rochester, NY versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rochester, NY

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h ahead of Rochester, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

211,328

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rochester, NY Montevideo 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rochester, 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

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

Yes – Rochester, NY is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,471 per month in Rochester, 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 $1,379 per month in Rochester, 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 9% more in Rochester, 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 Rochester, NY at $2,314. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rochester, 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, Rochester, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.