Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombia and Uruguay

Name: Uruguay
Address: UY

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombia: $1,326 a month against $1,637 in Uruguay, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Colombia
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Colombia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Uruguay
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Uruguay Living Index

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🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,326

/mo nomad

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombia and in Uruguay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Colombia and in Uruguay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Colombia vs $1,637 in Uruguay, rent included.

Colombia $1,326
Uruguay $1,637

A couple spends around $2,051 per month in Colombia vs $2,486 in Uruguay, rent included.

Colombia $2,051
Uruguay $2,486

A family of three spends $2,777 per month in Colombia vs $3,335 in Uruguay, rent included.

Colombia $2,777
Uruguay $3,335

The regional cost range is wider in Uruguay ($47.00–$1,997) than in Colombia ($799–$1,625), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Colombia is roughly 19% lower than in Uruguay on average.

Colombia sits 2% below the global median, while Uruguay is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.41 COP 23.5K

$17.11 UYU 687

-56.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.52 COP 147.5K

$54.1 UYU 2,169

-13.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$12.35 UYU 496

-25.51%

Cappuccino

$2.75 COP 8,718

$4.29 UYU 172

-35.90%

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

$1.50 COP 4,748

$2.31 UYU 92.6

-35.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 COP 3,487

$1.83 UYU 73.5

-39.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 COP 8,117

$3.76 UYU 151

-31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 COP 12.0K

$3.80 UYU 153

-0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 COP 5,001

$1.21 UYU 48.76

30.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 COP 7,028

$2.56 UYU 103

-13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,201

$1.66 UYU 66.8

-1.20%

Eggs

$2.95 COP 9,342

$4.21 UYU 169

-29.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 COP 25.4K

$12.98 UYU 521

-38.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 COP 28.8K

$10.58 UYU 424

-14.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 COP 36.4K

$11.39 UYU 457

0.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 COP 11.8K

$2.76 UYU 111

34.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$2.56 UYU 103

-45.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,417

$1.55 UYU 62.2

10.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,312

$3.07 UYU 123

-35.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,747

$1.82 UYU 73.1

-17.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,746

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-29.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,588

$1.32 UYU 52.8

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 COP 3,365

$1.81 UYU 72.7

-41.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 COP 13.7K

$5.45 UYU 219

-20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$7.36 UYU 295

78.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 COP 4,782

$2.16 UYU 86.6

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,472

$2.79 UYU 112

-15.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 COP 3,572

$1.38 UYU 55.4

-18.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 COP 196.3K

$76.0 UYU 3,051

-18.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 COP 6,708

$1.82 UYU 73.2

16.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,760

$1.67 UYU 67.1

27.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 COP 26.9K

$10.49 UYU 421

-19.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 COP 4,149

$2.12 UYU 85.0

-38.21%

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

$35.0K COP 111.0M

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

30.80%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$37.2K UYU 1.5M

-7.42%

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

$127 COP 403.4K

$150 UYU 6,028

-15.30%

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

$13.77 COP 43.7K

$20.75 UYU 833

-33.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.32 COP 93.0K

$40.71 UYU 1,634

-27.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.19 COP 114.8K

$46.61 UYU 1,871

-22.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.74 COP 49.9K

$19.19 UYU 770

-17.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 COP 20.1K

$11.11 UYU 446

-42.93%

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

$590 COP 1.9M

$575 UYU 23.1K

2.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,440 COP 29.9M

$9,169 UYU 368.0K

2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 COP 248.7K

$85.5 UYU 3,431

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 COP 162.0K

$49.89 UYU 2,003

2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 COP 424.1K

$120 UYU 4,820

11.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 COP 334.3K

$110 UYU 4,432

-4.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 COP 2.2M

$663 UYU 26.6K

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 COP 1.4M

$526 UYU 21.1K

-15.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 COP 4.0M

$1,079 UYU 43.3K

18.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 COP 2.6M

$871 UYU 34.9K

-7.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,281 COP 7.2M

$3,313 UYU 133.0K

-31.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,476 COP 4.7M

$1,807 UYU 72.5K

-18.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 COP 2.0M

$1,067 UYU 42.8K

-42.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

5.81

120.48%

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

Last update for Colombia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Uruguay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombia

$443 33.5%

Uruguay

$526 32.1% 18.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Colombia

$267 20.2%

Uruguay

$306 18.7% 14.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombia

$170 12.9%

Uruguay

$212 12.9% 24.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Colombia

$166 12.5%

Uruguay

$165 10.1% 0.8% $1.3

Eating Out

Colombia

$151 11.4%

Uruguay

$268 16.4% 78.1% $118

Getting Around

Colombia

$79 6%

Uruguay

$92 5.6% 15.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Colombia

$49 3.7%

Uruguay

$69 4.2% 40.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $646 in Colombia vs $337 in Uruguay. For reference, capital cities sit at $801 in Bogota and $713 in Montevideo.

Average salary: $640 in Colombia vs $864 in Uruguay. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 92% higher in Colombia.

Public transport is 23% more expensive in Colombia.

Salaries are 35% higher in Uruguay.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Colombia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

10:54 10:54 AM

2 h ahead of Colombia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,321,152

3,444,263

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombia Uruguay 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombia
Uruguay

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

Colombia vs Uruguay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 23% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Uruguay costs about 23% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Uruguay. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Colombia, but in Uruguay it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Colombia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.