Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilkes-Barre, PA and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,190 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Wilkes-Barre, PA
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Wilkes-Barre, PA Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,190

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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 Wilkes-Barre, PA and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,190 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $1,784 in Montevideo, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $2,190
Montevideo $1,784

A couple spends around $3,358 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $2,756 in Montevideo, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $3,358
Montevideo $2,756

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $3,728 in Montevideo, rent included.

Wilkes-Barre, PA $4,526
Montevideo $3,728

Wilkes-Barre, PA costs about 23% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wilkes-Barre, PA and Montevideo sit above the global median – Wilkes-Barre, PA by 62%, Montevideo by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 $18.15

$14.82 UYU 595

22.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.37 $49.37

$69.7 UYU 2,797

-29.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 $10.40

$14.68 UYU 589

-29.16%

Cappuccino

$3.91 $3.91

$4.65 UYU 186

-15.91%

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

$0.99 $0.99

$2.74 UYU 110

-63.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.07 UYU 82.9

-3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.79 UYU 192

43.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$3.63 UYU 146

101.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-35.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.89 UYU 116

12.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.70 UYU 68.1

157.65%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$4.62 UYU 185

-12.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$14.22 UYU 571

-23.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$11.62 UYU 466

14.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.75 $17.75

$12.23 UYU 491

45.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$2.77 UYU 111

131.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.85 UYU 114

-51.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$1.81 UYU 72.5

197.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$3.20 UYU 129

112.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.94 UYU 77.8

49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.16 UYU 86.5

74.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.43 UYU 57.3

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.94 UYU 77.9

41.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.11 $15.11

$5.47 UYU 219

176.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$8.95 UYU 359

65.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.26 UYU 90.8

35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.81 UYU 113

67.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.56 UYU 62.6

-5.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.90 UYU 76.2

101.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.43 UYU 17.36

409.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$10.59 UYU 425

182.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-48.11%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

15.50%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-27.42%

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

$238 $238

$193 UYU 7,727

23.63%

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

$57.5 $57.5

$20.91 UYU 839

174.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.2 $74.2

$44.89 UYU 1,802

65.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 $49.49

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-2.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$14.75 $14.75

$12.30 UYU 494

19.92%

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

$1,732 $1,732

$629 UYU 25.2K

175.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

61.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 $54.5

$104 UYU 4,166

-47.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.05 $48.05

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-16.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 $96.1

$125 UYU 5,010

-23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$132 UYU 5,315

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 $1,253

$713 UYU 28.6K

75.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 $852

$575 UYU 23.1K

48.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 $1,736

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

49.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 $1,752

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

69.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

245.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.74

16.20%

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

Last update for Wilkes-Barre, PA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$852 38.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 32.5% $277

Groceries & Markets

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$439 20%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 24% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$370 16.9%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 30.1% $111

Eating Out

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$284 13%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 5.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$145 6.6%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 29.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$79 3.6%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 4.6% $3.6

Getting Around

Wilkes-Barre, PA

$21 * 0.9%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 307% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,253 in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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.

Salaries run about 245% higher in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 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 $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA versus $70.0 in Montevideo. Groceries tell a different story – $439 in Wilkes-Barre, PA vs $334 in Montevideo – so Montevideo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilkes-Barre, PA

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

1 h ahead of Wilkes-Barre, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,288

1,319,108 Capital

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Highest

Between locations

Wilkes-Barre, PA Montevideo 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Wilkes-Barre, PA
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

Wilkes-Barre, PA vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wilkes-Barre, PA is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,285 per month in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $2,676 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 $49.00 in Wilkes-Barre, PA and $70.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Wilkes-Barre, PA, 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 $1,784, than in Wilkes-Barre, PA at $2,190. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wilkes-Barre, PA 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, Wilkes-Barre, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.