Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Traverse City, MI and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,679 in Traverse City, MI, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Traverse City, MI
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Traverse City, MI Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Traverse City, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,679

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,679 per month in Traverse City, MI vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Traverse City, MI $2,679
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,967 per month in Traverse City, MI vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Traverse City, MI $3,967
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $5,256 per month in Traverse City, MI vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Traverse City, MI $5,256
Montevideo $3,750

Traverse City, MI costs about 48% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Traverse City, MI and Montevideo sit above the global median – Traverse City, MI by 100%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.73 $21.73

$15.26 UYU 613

42.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$67.4 UYU 2,711

13.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$14.37 UYU 578

-19.83%

Cappuccino

$4.65 $4.65

$4.64 UYU 187

0.22%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$2.73 UYU 110

-5.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.09 UYU 84.0

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.75 UYU 191

7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.67 UYU 147

79.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-44.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.77 UYU 112

8.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.69 UYU 67.8

179.88%

Eggs

$2.76 $2.76

$4.52 UYU 182

-38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.38 $19.38

$14.17 UYU 570

36.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$12.07 UYU 485

38.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.96 $21.96

$12.16 UYU 489

80.59%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.87 UYU 116

130.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$2.75 UYU 110

-53.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.73 UYU 69.5

120.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.95 $6.95

$3.24 UYU 130

114.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.07 UYU 83.1

30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.07 UYU 83.1

55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.38 UYU 55.4

71.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.85 UYU 74.5

48.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.92 $5.92

$5.57 UYU 224

6.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$8.89 UYU 357

68.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$2.70 UYU 109

153.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.86 $5.86

$1.52 UYU 61.3

285.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.64 $29.64

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-59.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-54.95%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

32.38%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-29.99%

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

$120 $120

$191 UYU 7,674

-37.06%

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

$36.58 $36.58

$20.40 UYU 820

79.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.5 $66.5

$44.14 UYU 1,775

50.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.7 $63.7

$54.1 UYU 2,177

17.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$9.78 $9.78

$12.33 UYU 496

-20.68%

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

$1,039 $1,039

$613 UYU 24.7K

69.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K $10.9K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 $58.7

$103 UYU 4,134

-42.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.45 $41.45

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-26.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$124 UYU 5,000

-17.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 $87.8

$130 UYU 5,214

-32.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 $2,008

$705 UYU 28.4K

184.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 $1,412

$575 UYU 23.1K

145.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,793 $3,793

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

233.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,289 $2,289

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

125.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,030 $5,030

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

50.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,623 $3,623

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

86.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,746 $2,746

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

123.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.74

10.10%

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

Last update for Traverse City, MI: 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

Traverse City, MI

$1.4K 52.3%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 59.2% $836

Groceries & Markets

Traverse City, MI

$477 17.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 30.3% $145

Eating Out

Traverse City, MI

$322 11.9%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 15.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Traverse City, MI

$223 8.3%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 14.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Traverse City, MI

$131 4.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 42.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Traverse City, MI

$83 3.1%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 5.4% $4.5

Getting Around

Traverse City, MI

$53 * 2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 57.4% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,008 in Traverse City, MI 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 123% higher in Traverse City, MI, 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 $76.0 in Traverse City, MI versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $477 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Traverse City, MI

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

1 h ahead of Traverse City, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,678

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

Traverse City, MI Montevideo 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Traverse City, MI
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

Traverse City, MI vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Traverse City, MI is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,018 per month in Traverse City, MI 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 $1,039 per month in Traverse City, MI 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 43% more in Traverse City, MI, 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 Traverse City, MI at $2,679. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Traverse City, MI 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, Traverse City, MI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.