Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Cali versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Cali $1,054
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Cali versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Cali $1,614
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Cali versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Cali $2,174
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Cali costs roughly 42% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cali is 21% below, Montevideo is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.26 COP 23.4K

$15.26 UYU 613

-52.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.04 COP 119.3K

$67.4 UYU 2,707

-45.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 COP 25.9K

$14.37 UYU 577

-43.98%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,972

$4.64 UYU 186

-66.81%

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

$1.25 COP 4,027

$2.73 UYU 110

-54.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 2,702

$2.09 UYU 83.9

-59.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 COP 10.2K

$4.75 UYU 191

-33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 COP 11.5K

$3.67 UYU 147

-2.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 COP 4,998

$1.38 UYU 55.4

12.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 COP 6,026

$2.77 UYU 111

-32.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,822

$1.69 UYU 67.7

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.77 COP 8,907

$4.52 UYU 182

-38.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 COP 20.6K

$14.17 UYU 569

-54.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 COP 22.2K

$12.07 UYU 485

-42.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 COP 31.9K

$12.16 UYU 488

-18.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 COP 11.0K

$2.87 UYU 115

19.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,186

$2.75 UYU 110

-52.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 COP 5,659

$1.73 UYU 69.4

1.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,421

$3.24 UYU 130

-48.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,730

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-28.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,722

$2.07 UYU 83.0

-28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,551

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-20.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 COP 3,004

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-49.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 COP 11.7K

$5.57 UYU 224

-34.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.56 COP 40.5K

$8.89 UYU 357

41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,565

$2.29 UYU 92.1

-37.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,712

$2.70 UYU 108

-11.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,370

$1.52 UYU 61.2

-30.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.00 COP 93.4K

$73.7 UYU 2,958

-60.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 COP 2,664

$1.82 UYU 73.3

-54.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 COP 4,040

$2.22 UYU 89.0

-43.69%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$33.7K COP 108.5M

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-8.28%

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

$111 COP 358.1K

$191 UYU 7,662

-41.73%

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

$12.79 COP 41.2K

$20.40 UYU 819

-37.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.75 COP 95.8K

$44.14 UYU 1,772

-32.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.38 COP 91.4K

$54.1 UYU 2,174

-47.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.5K

$12.33 UYU 495

-33.17%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 COP 243.9K

$103 UYU 4,128

-26.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 COP 173.3K

$56.1 UYU 2,251

-4.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.4K

$124 UYU 4,993

-1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 COP 350.7K

$130 UYU 5,207

-16.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 COP 2.1M

$705 UYU 28.3K

-9.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 COP 937.4K

$575 UYU 23.1K

-49.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 COP 4.8M

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

31.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 COP 1.5M

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

-52.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 COP 1.8M

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

-53.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

5.74

101.74%

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

Last update for Cali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$291 27.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 97.7% $284

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$235 22.3%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 41.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$162 15.4%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 14.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$154 14.6%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 66.1% $102

Eating Out

Cali

$132 12.5%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 105% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$45 4.3%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 75.7% $34

Getting Around

Cali

$34 * 3.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 146% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $638 in Cali and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 117% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Cali vs $67.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $332 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

2 h ahead of Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,220 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cali Montevideo 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cali
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

Cali vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Montevideo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $638 in Cali versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 154% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cali and Montevideo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.