Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Uruguay

Name: Uruguay
Address: UY

For one person, living is cheaper in Uruguay: $1,637 a month against $2,727 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Uruguay
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Uruguay Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,727

/mo nomad

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Uruguay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United States and in Uruguay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,727 per month in the United States vs $1,637 in Uruguay, rent included.

United States $2,727
Uruguay $1,637

A couple spends around $4,009 per month in the United States vs $2,486 in Uruguay, rent included.

United States $4,009
Uruguay $2,486

A family of three spends $5,291 per month in the United States vs $3,335 in Uruguay, rent included.

United States $5,291
Uruguay $3,335

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($977–$5,215) than in Uruguay ($47.00–$1,997), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United States is about 67% higher than in Uruguay on average.

Both the United States and Uruguay are pricier than the global median – the United States by 101%, Uruguay by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.73 $19.73

$17.11 UYU 687

15.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

$54.1 UYU 2,169

49.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$12.35 UYU 496

-3.00%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.29 UYU 172

30.30%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$2.31 UYU 92.6

20.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.83 UYU 73.5

14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.76 UYU 151

59.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.92 $7.92

$3.80 UYU 153

108.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.21 UYU 48.76

-14.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.56 UYU 103

46.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.66 UYU 66.8

168.67%

Eggs

$4.34 $4.34

$4.21 UYU 169

3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$12.98 UYU 521

-1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$10.58 UYU 424

15.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$11.39 UYU 457

51.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$2.76 UYU 111

92.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.56 UYU 103

-34.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.55 UYU 62.2

178.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.07 UYU 123

63.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.82 UYU 73.1

54.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.13 UYU 85.6

43.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.32 UYU 52.8

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.81 UYU 72.7

29.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.92 $10.92

$5.45 UYU 219

100.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$7.36 UYU 295

102.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.16 UYU 86.6

-2.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.79 UYU 112

29.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.38 UYU 55.4

78.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.7 $65.7

$76.0 UYU 3,051

-13.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.82 UYU 73.2

96.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.67 UYU 67.1

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.51 $29.51

$10.49 UYU 421

181.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.12 UYU 85.0

-51.89%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

5.78%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

-30.22%

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

$221 $221

$150 UYU 6,028

47.02%

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

$61.3 $61.3

$20.75 UYU 833

195.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.3 $73.3

$40.71 UYU 1,634

79.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 $44.89

$46.61 UYU 1,871

-3.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 $22.65

$19.19 UYU 770

18.03%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$11.11 UYU 446

36.45%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$575 UYU 23.1K

155.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$9,169 UYU 368.0K

172.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$85.5 UYU 3,431

-37.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.76 $43.76

$49.89 UYU 2,003

-12.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$120 UYU 4,820

-23.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$110 UYU 4,432

3.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$663 UYU 26.6K

149.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$526 UYU 21.1K

153.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,669 $2,669

$1,079 UYU 43.3K

147.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,207 $2,207

$871 UYU 34.9K

153.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,054 $3,054

$3,313 UYU 133.0K

-7.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,522 $2,522

$1,807 UYU 72.5K

39.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,391 $4,391

$1,067 UYU 42.8K

311.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.81

12.74%

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

Last update for the United States: October 18, 2026

Last update for Uruguay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.9%

Uruguay

$526 32.1% 60.5% $806

Groceries & Markets

United States

$413 15.1%

Uruguay

$306 18.7% 25.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Uruguay

$212 12.9% 40.4% $144

Eating Out

United States

$326 12%

Uruguay

$268 16.4% 17.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Uruguay

$165 10.1% 20.5% $28

Getting Around

United States

$89 3.3%

Uruguay

$92 5.6% 3.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Uruguay

$69 4.2% 8.5% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,612 in the United States vs $337 in Uruguay. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,743 in Washington, DC and $713 in Montevideo.

Average salary: $4,548 in the United States vs $864 in Uruguay. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 378% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 63% more in the United States.

Public transport is 108% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 426% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇺🇾 Uruguay

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

3,444,263

💱 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 24, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 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

United States Uruguay 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
Uruguay

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

United States vs Uruguay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uruguay is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 67% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,612 versus $337 in Uruguay.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Uruguay, adding to the overall 67% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Uruguay, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Uruguay is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.