Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,310 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bogota
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,310
/mo nomad
Montevideo
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,310 per month in Bogota vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Bogota $1,310
  • Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Bogota vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Bogota $2,073
  • Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $2,836 per month in Bogota vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

  • Bogota $2,836
  • Montevideo $3,750

Bogota is about 28% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bogota sits 2% below the global median, while Montevideo is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.62 COP 24.5K
$15.26 UYU 613
-50.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.93 COP 131.8K
$67.4 UYU 2,707
-39.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 COP 32.1K
$14.37 UYU 577
-30.69%
Cappuccino
$2.46 COP 7,933
$4.64 UYU 186
-46.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 COP 4,394
$2.73 UYU 110
-50.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 COP 2,631
$2.09 UYU 83.9
-60.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 COP 6,472
$4.75 UYU 191
-57.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.85 COP 12.4K
$3.67 UYU 147
4.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 COP 5,213
$1.38 UYU 55.4
17.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 COP 7,909
$2.77 UYU 111
-11.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 COP 5,311
$1.69 UYU 67.7
-2.37%
Eggs
$3.45 COP 11.1K
$4.52 UYU 182
-23.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.69 COP 24.8K
$14.17 UYU 569
-45.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.02 COP 22.6K
$12.07 UYU 485
-41.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.72 COP 31.3K
$12.16 UYU 488
-20.07%
Apples (1kg)
$3.47 COP 11.2K
$2.87 UYU 115
20.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 COP 5,732
$2.75 UYU 110
-35.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,305
$1.73 UYU 69.4
13.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.75 COP 5,637
$3.24 UYU 130
-45.99%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 COP 4,507
$2.07 UYU 83.0
-32.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 COP 4,479
$2.07 UYU 83.0
-32.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 COP 4,232
$1.38 UYU 55.4
-5.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 COP 3,724
$1.85 UYU 74.4
-37.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 COP 13.4K
$5.57 UYU 224
-25.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.24 COP 39.4K
$8.89 UYU 357
37.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,575
$2.29 UYU 92.1
-37.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 COP 9,117
$2.70 UYU 108
4.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 COP 3,426
$1.52 UYU 61.2
-30.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.65 COP 156.7K
$73.7 UYU 2,958
-33.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.28 COP 7,335
$1.82 UYU 73.3
25.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.31 COP 7,454
$0.40 UYU 16.02
477.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.26 COP 29.8K
$10.66 UYU 428
-13.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 COP 4,042
$2.22 UYU 89.0
-43.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K COP 75.3M
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
-12.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.3K COP 113.7M
$36.7K UYU 1.5M
-3.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 COP 389.4K
$191 UYU 7,662
-36.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.63 COP 50.3K
$20.40 UYU 819
-23.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.00 COP 93.4K
$44.14 UYU 1,772
-34.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.55 COP 104.8K
$54.1 UYU 2,174
-39.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.14 COP 48.7K
$19.68 UYU 790
-23.07%
Cinema Ticket
$7.55 COP 24.3K
$12.33 UYU 495
-38.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$465 COP 1.5M
$613 UYU 24.6K
-24.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,119 COP 26.1M
$11.0K UYU 443.6K
-26.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.5 COP 265.6K
$103 UYU 4,128
-19.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.69 COP 150.3K
$56.1 UYU 2,251
-16.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 COP 457.4K
$124 UYU 4,993
14.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 COP 335.2K
$130 UYU 5,207
-19.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$781 COP 2.5M
$705 UYU 28.3K
10.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$440 COP 1.4M
$575 UYU 23.1K
-23.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 COP 4.1M
$1,139 UYU 45.7K
10.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$974 COP 3.1M
$1,016 UYU 40.8K
-4.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,755 COP 8.9M
$3,349 UYU 134.4K
-17.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,239 COP 7.2M
$1,942 UYU 78.0K
15.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bogota
Montevideo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$795 COP 2.6M
$1,229 UYU 49.4K
-35.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.81
5.74
123.17%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bogota
$440
Montevideo
$575 30.8% $135
Groceries & Markets
Bogota
$256
Montevideo
$332 29.6% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
$169
Montevideo
$186 10% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
$166
Montevideo
$255 54.3% $90
Eating Out
Bogota
$147
Montevideo
$271 84.6% $124
Getting Around
Bogota
$67
Montevideo
$84 25.2% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
$48
Montevideo
$79 65.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $781 in Bogota 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 55% 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 $41.00 in Bogota versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $332 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Bogota
🇺🇾 Montevideo
🕒 Local time
20:08 8:08 PM
22:08 10:08 PM
2 h ahead of Bogota
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,181,047 Capital
1,319,108 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bogota Montevideo 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bogota
  • 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
Bogota vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Montevideo cheaper than Bogota?
Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,966 per month in Bogota 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 Bogota, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Bogota and in Montevideo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,310 in Bogota and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 38%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 51% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bogota or in Montevideo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,310, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Bogota or Montevideo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bogota – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Bogota 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 Bogota. 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.

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