Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,994 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in South Portland, ME vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

South Portland, ME $2,994
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $4,563 per month in South Portland, ME vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

South Portland, ME $4,563
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $6,131 per month in South Portland, ME vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

South Portland, ME $6,131
Montevideo $3,750

South Portland, ME costs about 65% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both South Portland, ME and Montevideo sit above the global median – South Portland, ME by 123%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$15.26 UYU 613

60.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$67.4 UYU 2,711

77.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.81 $14.81

$14.37 UYU 578

3.06%

Cappuccino

$5.13 $5.13

$4.64 UYU 187

10.56%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$2.73 UYU 110

10.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.09 UYU 84.0

13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.84 $7.84

$4.75 UYU 191

65.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.67 UYU 147

119.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-25.36%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.77 UYU 112

64.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$1.69 UYU 67.8

327.81%

Eggs

$3.93 $3.93

$4.52 UYU 182

-13.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 $15.46

$14.17 UYU 570

9.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 $10.02

$12.07 UYU 485

-16.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.91 $15.91

$12.16 UYU 489

30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.87 UYU 116

76.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.75 UYU 110

-37.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.73 UYU 69.5

215.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.24 UYU 130

127.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.07 UYU 83.1

115.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.07 UYU 83.1

81.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.38 UYU 55.4

118.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.85 UYU 74.5

36.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.11 $11.11

$5.57 UYU 224

99.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.80 $14.80

$8.89 UYU 357

66.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-18.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.70 UYU 109

-4.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.52 UYU 61.3

36.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.82 UYU 73.4

12.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.40 UYU 16.05

295.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.11 $11.11

$10.66 UYU 429

4.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-50.90%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

34.84%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-31.66%

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

$239 $239

$191 UYU 7,674

25.02%

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

$69.9 $69.9

$20.40 UYU 820

242.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.1 $78.1

$44.14 UYU 1,775

76.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 $61.0

$54.1 UYU 2,177

12.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.63 $29.63

$19.68 UYU 791

50.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$12.33 UYU 496

23.36%

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

$402 $402

$613 UYU 24.7K

-34.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K $15.2K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

37.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 $52.3

$103 UYU 4,134

-49.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 $52.3

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-6.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$124 UYU 5,000

-17.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 $135

$130 UYU 5,214

3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$705 UYU 28.4K

174.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$575 UYU 23.1K

164.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,149 $3,149

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

176.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,643 $2,643

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

160.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-16.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,405 $2,405

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

23.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,254 $4,254

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

246.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.74

15.85%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: 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

South Portland, ME

$1.5K 50.7%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 62.2% $945

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$446 14.9%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 25.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$387 12.9%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 33.9% $131

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$379 12.7%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 28.5% $108

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$154 5.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 20.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$91 3.1%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 13.8% $13

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$18 * 0.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 358% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,933 in South Portland, ME 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 246% higher in South Portland, ME, 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 $120 in South Portland, ME versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $446 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

04:56 4:56 AM

1 h ahead of South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Portland, ME Montevideo 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

South Portland, ME
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

South Portland, ME vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – South Portland, ME is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in South Portland, ME 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in South Portland, ME and $67.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in South Portland, ME, 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 South Portland, ME at $2,994. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in South Portland, ME 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, South Portland, ME makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.