Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Virginia Beach, VA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,790 in Virginia Beach, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Virginia Beach, VA
🇺🇸 United States
$2,790
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,790 per month in Virginia Beach, VA vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Virginia Beach, VA $2,790
  • Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,973 per month in Virginia Beach, VA vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Virginia Beach, VA $3,973
  • Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $5,156 per month in Virginia Beach, VA vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Virginia Beach, VA $5,156
  • Montevideo $3,750

Virginia Beach, VA costs about 54% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Virginia Beach, VA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Virginia Beach, VA by 108%, Montevideo by 35%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.76 $17.76
$15.26 UYU 613
16.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.6 $89.6
$67.4 UYU 2,711
32.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.14 $12.14
$14.37 UYU 578
-15.52%
Cappuccino
$5.75 $5.75
$4.64 UYU 187
23.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 $2.78
$2.73 UYU 110
1.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 $2.11
$2.09 UYU 84.0
0.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.11 $6.11
$4.75 UYU 191
28.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.21 $7.21
$3.67 UYU 147
96.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.38 UYU 55.5
-25.36%
White Bread (500g)
$3.09 $3.09
$2.77 UYU 112
11.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.44 $5.44
$1.69 UYU 67.8
221.89%
Eggs
$4.66 $4.66
$4.52 UYU 182
3.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.14 $10.14
$14.17 UYU 570
-28.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 $9.65
$12.07 UYU 485
-20.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.11 $18.11
$12.16 UYU 489
48.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 $2.59
$2.87 UYU 116
-9.76%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$2.75 UYU 110
-43.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.19 $5.19
$1.73 UYU 69.5
200.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.65 $5.65
$3.24 UYU 130
74.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.34 $2.34
$2.07 UYU 83.1
13.04%
Onion (1kg)
$4.62 $4.62
$2.07 UYU 83.1
123.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.85 $1.85
$1.38 UYU 55.4
34.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.23 $2.23
$1.85 UYU 74.5
20.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.02 $9.02
$5.57 UYU 224
61.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.02 $12.02
$8.89 UYU 357
35.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 $1.82
$2.29 UYU 92.2
-20.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 $2.11
$2.70 UYU 109
-21.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.52 UYU 61.3
34.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.0 $69.0
$73.7 UYU 2,962
-6.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 $4.70
$1.82 UYU 73.4
158.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.29 $1.29
$0.40 UYU 16.05
222.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.10 $20.10
$10.66 UYU 429
88.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$2.22 UYU 89.2
-53.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.9K $35.9K
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
34.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K $25.4K
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
-30.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 $205
$191 UYU 7,674
7.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$59.1 $59.1
$20.40 UYU 820
189.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.6 $66.6
$44.14 UYU 1,775
50.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.34 $44.34
$54.1 UYU 2,177
-18.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.48 $34.48
$19.68 UYU 791
75.20%
Cinema Ticket
$11.89 $11.89
$12.33 UYU 496
-3.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,586 $1,586
$613 UYU 24.7K
158.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.3K $16.3K
$11.0K UYU 444.3K
47.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.2 $60.2
$103 UYU 4,134
-41.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.89 $47.89
$56.1 UYU 2,255
-14.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 $116
$124 UYU 5,000
-6.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 $111
$130 UYU 5,214
-14.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,823 $1,823
$705 UYU 28.4K
158.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,425 $1,425
$575 UYU 23.1K
147.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,785 $2,785
$1,139 UYU 45.8K
144.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,150 $2,150
$1,016 UYU 40.8K
111.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,287 $2,287
$3,349 UYU 134.6K
-31.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,308 $2,308
$1,942 UYU 78.1K
18.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Virginia Beach, VA
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,203 $4,203
$1,229 UYU 49.4K
241.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
5.74
14.46%

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

Last update for Virginia Beach, VA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Virginia Beach, VA
$1.4K
Montevideo
$575 59.6% $850
Groceries & Markets
Virginia Beach, VA
$374
Montevideo
$332 11.1% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Virginia Beach, VA
$331
Montevideo
$255 22.9% $76
Eating Out
Virginia Beach, VA
$312
Montevideo
$271 13.1% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Virginia Beach, VA
$151
Montevideo
$186 23.2% $35
Getting Around
Virginia Beach, VA
$88
Montevideo
$84 5.4% $4.8
Sport & Entertainment
Virginia Beach, VA
$68
Montevideo
$79 15.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,823 in Virginia Beach, VA 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 242% higher in Virginia Beach, VA, 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 $90.0 in Virginia Beach, VA versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Virginia Beach, VA
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
10:33 10:33 AM
11:33 11:33 AM
1 h ahead of Virginia Beach, VA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
459,470
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 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Virginia Beach, VA Montevideo 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Virginia Beach, VA
  • 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
Virginia Beach, VA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Virginia Beach, VA?
Yes – Virginia Beach, VA is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,185 per month in Virginia Beach, VA and $2,720 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,586 per month in Virginia Beach, VA and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Virginia Beach, VA and in Montevideo?
Groceries cost about 12% more in Virginia Beach, VA, 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 Virginia Beach, VA or in Montevideo?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Virginia Beach, VA at $2,790. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Virginia Beach, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Virginia Beach, VA 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, Virginia Beach, VA 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, Virginia Beach, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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