Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rock Island, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,664
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,784
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,664 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Rock Island, IL $2,664
  • Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $3,843 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Rock Island, IL $3,843
  • Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $5,023 per month in Rock Island, IL vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Rock Island, IL $5,023
  • Montevideo $3,728

Rock Island, IL costs about 49% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rock Island, IL and Montevideo sit above the global median – Rock Island, IL by 97%, Montevideo by 32%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.07 $20.07
$14.82 UYU 595
35.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.2 $67.2
$69.7 UYU 2,797
-3.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.84 $12.84
$14.68 UYU 589
-12.53%
Cappuccino
$5.90 $5.90
$4.65 UYU 186
26.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 $3.14
$2.74 UYU 110
14.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 $2.40
$2.07 UYU 82.9
15.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.08 $7.08
$4.79 UYU 192
47.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.97 $7.97
$3.63 UYU 146
119.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.39 UYU 55.8
-32.37%
White Bread (500g)
$3.51 $3.51
$2.89 UYU 116
21.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.23 $4.23
$1.70 UYU 68.1
148.82%
Eggs
$3.71 $3.71
$4.62 UYU 185
-19.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.09 $15.09
$14.22 UYU 571
6.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.15 $13.15
$11.62 UYU 466
13.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.09 $20.09
$12.23 UYU 491
64.27%
Apples (1kg)
$4.73 $4.73
$2.77 UYU 111
70.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 $1.63
$2.85 UYU 114
-42.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.15 $5.15
$1.81 UYU 72.5
184.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.79 $4.79
$3.20 UYU 129
49.69%
Potato (1kg)
$2.80 $2.80
$1.94 UYU 77.8
44.33%
Onion (1kg)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.16 UYU 86.5
44.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.43 UYU 57.3
51.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 $2.42
$1.94 UYU 77.9
24.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.72 $10.72
$5.47 UYU 219
95.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.51 $15.51
$8.95 UYU 359
73.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 $2.66
$2.26 UYU 90.8
17.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 $4.36
$2.81 UYU 113
55.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.82 $1.82
$1.56 UYU 62.6
16.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$73.8 UYU 2,962
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.96 $3.96
$1.90 UYU 76.2
108.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 $1.99
$0.43 UYU 17.36
362.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.24 $44.24
$10.59 UYU 425
317.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 $1.00
$2.12 UYU 85.2
-52.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K $31.2K
$26.8K UYU 1.1M
16.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K $25.6K
$37.0K UYU 1.5M
-30.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$267 $267
$193 UYU 7,727
38.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.3 $52.3
$20.91 UYU 839
149.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$80.6 $80.6
$44.89 UYU 1,802
79.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.16 $45.16
$50.8 UYU 2,038
-11.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.73 UYU 792
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.12 $15.12
$12.30 UYU 494
22.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,719 $1,719
$629 UYU 25.2K
173.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K $23.8K
$10.9K UYU 437.3K
118.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.5 $64.5
$104 UYU 4,166
-37.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.9 $50.9
$57.4 UYU 2,305
-11.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 $108
$125 UYU 5,010
-13.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 $120
$132 UYU 5,315
-9.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,812 $1,812
$713 UYU 28.6K
154.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 $1,239
$575 UYU 23.1K
115.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,614 $2,614
$1,164 UYU 46.7K
124.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,021 $2,021
$1,033 UYU 41.5K
95.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,912 $2,912
$3,418 UYU 137.2K
-14.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 $2,284
$1,760 UYU 70.6K
29.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rock Island, IL
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,244 UYU 49.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
5.74
16.55%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rock Island, IL
$1.2K
Montevideo
$575 53.5% $663
Groceries & Markets
Rock Island, IL
$431
Montevideo
$334 22.6% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rock Island, IL
$400
Montevideo
$258 35.4% $142
Eating Out
Rock Island, IL
$343
Montevideo
$269 21.7% $75
Clothing & Footwear
Rock Island, IL
$154
Montevideo
$188 22.1% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Rock Island, IL
$75
Montevideo
$75 0% $0
Getting Around
Rock Island, IL
$21 *
Montevideo
$84 297% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,812 in Rock Island, IL 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Rock Island, IL versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $431 in Rock Island, IL vs $334 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
16:13 4:13 PM
18:13 6:13 PM
2 h ahead of Rock Island, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,108
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rock Island, IL Montevideo 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rock Island, IL
  • 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
Rock Island, IL vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Rock Island, IL?
Yes – Rock Island, IL is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,995 per month in Rock Island, IL and $2,676 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Rock Island, IL or in Montevideo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Rock Island, IL and $70.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Rock Island, IL and in Montevideo?
Groceries cost about 29% more in Rock Island, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Rock Island, IL or in Montevideo?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Rock Island, IL at $2,664. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rock Island, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Rock Island, IL or Montevideo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Rock Island, IL or Montevideo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rock Island, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Rock Island, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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