Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barranquilla and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Barranquilla: $1,439 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,439

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,439 per month in Barranquilla vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Barranquilla $1,439
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,247 per month in Barranquilla vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Barranquilla $2,247
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $3,056 per month in Barranquilla vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Barranquilla $3,056
Montevideo $3,750

Barranquilla is about 21% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barranquilla and Montevideo sit above the global median – Barranquilla by 7%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 COP 27.6K

$15.26 UYU 613

-43.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 COP 198.0K

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-7.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.40 COP 42.7K

$14.37 UYU 578

-6.75%

Cappuccino

$2.62 COP 8,356

$4.64 UYU 187

-43.53%

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

$1.35 COP 4,298

$2.73 UYU 110

-50.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 COP 3,929

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-41.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 COP 9,679

$4.75 UYU 191

-36.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 COP 24.5K

$3.67 UYU 147

109.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 COP 2,875

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 COP 3,966

$2.77 UYU 112

-55.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$1.69 UYU 67.8

-10.06%

Eggs

$2.04 COP 6,509

$4.52 UYU 182

-54.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.77 COP 15.2K

$14.17 UYU 570

-66.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.28 COP 55.1K

$12.07 UYU 485

43.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.84 COP 21.8K

$12.16 UYU 489

-43.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 COP 6,985

$2.87 UYU 116

-23.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 COP 3,031

$2.75 UYU 110

-65.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.58 COP 1,862

$1.73 UYU 69.5

-66.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 COP 5,948

$3.24 UYU 130

-42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 COP 3,831

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-42.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 COP 3,019

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-54.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 COP 3,971

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-9.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 COP 3,017

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-48.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 COP 16.0K

$5.57 UYU 224

-9.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 COP 39.2K

$8.89 UYU 357

38.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,783

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-34.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 COP 14.4K

$2.70 UYU 109

67.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 COP 3,615

$1.52 UYU 61.3

-25.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 COP 10.6K

$1.82 UYU 73.4

81.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 COP 9,582

$0.40 UYU 16.05

652.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.51 COP 49.4K

$10.66 UYU 429

45.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,122

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-41.89%

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

$21.3K COP 68.0M

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

-20.24%

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

$27.9K COP 88.9M

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-24.07%

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

$148 COP 471.7K

$191 UYU 7,674

-22.43%

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

$14.29 COP 45.5K

$20.40 UYU 820

-29.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.19 COP 102.6K

$44.14 UYU 1,775

-27.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 COP 105.8K

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-38.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$4.47 COP 14.2K

$12.33 UYU 496

-63.75%

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

$301 COP 959.1K

$613 UYU 24.7K

-50.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,623 COP 14.7M

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

-58.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 COP 346.3K

$103 UYU 4,134

5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.51 COP 148.2K

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-17.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$181 COP 577.5K

$124 UYU 5,000

45.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$245 COP 781.3K

$130 UYU 5,214

89.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 COP 2.4M

$705 UYU 28.4K

7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 COP 1.6M

$575 UYU 23.1K

-15.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.5M

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

-30.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 COP 2.8M

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-13.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,793 COP 5.7M

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-46.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$616 COP 2.0M

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-68.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 COP 1.6M

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-59.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

74.22%

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

Last update for Barranquilla: 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

Barranquilla

$489 33.9%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 17.7% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Barranquilla

$262 18.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 29% $76

Groceries & Markets

Barranquilla

$248 17.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 33.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barranquilla

$195 13.5%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 31.3% $61

Eating Out

Barranquilla

$182 12.6%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 49.2% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Barranquilla

$42 2.9%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 87% $37

Getting Around

Barranquilla

$23 * 1.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 265% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $760 in Barranquilla 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 145% higher in Montevideo, 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 $62.0 in Barranquilla versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $332 – making Barranquilla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

2 h ahead of Barranquilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,327,209

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barranquilla Montevideo 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Barranquilla
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

Barranquilla vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 26% more than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,158 per month in Barranquilla 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 Barranquilla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,439 in Barranquilla and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $301 per month in Barranquilla and $613 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Barranquilla, where all-in costs run around $1,439, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Barranquilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barranquilla costs $1,439 versus $1,813 in Montevideo. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Barranquilla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.