Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colonia and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colonia: $1,511 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
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Colonia Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,511

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,511 in Colonia versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Colonia $1,511
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,462 in Colonia versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Colonia $2,462
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Colonia versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Colonia $3,413
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Colonia costs roughly 15% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Colonia 12% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.94 UYU 640

$15.16 UYU 609

5.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 UYU 3,015

$69.2 UYU 2,776

8.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.92 UYU 519

$14.65 UYU 588

-11.81%

Cappuccino

$5.83 UYU 234

$4.46 UYU 179

30.72%

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

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$2.67 UYU 107

-30.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 UYU 56.2

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 UYU 196

$4.83 UYU 194

1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 UYU 190

$3.80 UYU 152

24.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 UYU 46.11

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 UYU 84.7

$2.87 UYU 115

-26.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.39

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-30.86%

Eggs

$3.51 UYU 141

$4.68 UYU 188

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 UYU 400

$13.88 UYU 557

-28.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 UYU 495

$11.98 UYU 481

3.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 UYU 443

$11.97 UYU 480

-7.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 UYU 87.3

$2.78 UYU 111

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 UYU 76.0

$2.74 UYU 110

-31.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 UYU 51.1

$1.77 UYU 71.2

-28.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 UYU 224

$3.24 UYU 130

72.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 UYU 81.8

$1.97 UYU 79.2

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 UYU 79.3

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 UYU 49.17

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-10.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 UYU 50.2

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-33.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.65 UYU 307

$5.59 UYU 224

36.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 UYU 506

$8.78 UYU 352

43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 UYU 178

$2.26 UYU 90.9

96.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 UYU 101

$2.75 UYU 110

-8.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 UYU 38.29

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-37.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 UYU 34.47

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-54.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 UYU 101

$0.40 UYU 16.18

532.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 UYU 79.4

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-7.04%

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

$32.0K UYU 1.3M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

18.21%

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

$39.2K UYU 1.6M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

8.07%

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

$123 UYU 4,923

$188 UYU 7,557

-34.86%

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

$18.70 UYU 750

$20.54 UYU 824

-8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 UYU 1,555

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-13.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.35 UYU 1,660

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-23.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.52 UYU 503

$19.75 UYU 793

-36.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 UYU 313

$11.95 UYU 480

-34.73%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 UYU 2,274

$102 UYU 4,099

-44.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 UYU 2,027

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-12.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 UYU 4,503

$127 UYU 5,079

-11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 UYU 8,079

$128 UYU 5,131

57.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 UYU 24.0K

$719 UYU 28.8K

-16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 UYU 18.9K

$568 UYU 22.8K

-17.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 UYU 45.2K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-1.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 UYU 39.2K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.74

-21.60%

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

Last update for Colonia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colonia

$470 31.1%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 20.8% $98

Groceries & Markets

Colonia

$314 20.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 5.7% $18

Eating Out

Colonia

$283 18.7%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 4.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Colonia

$189 12.5%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 1.6% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colonia

$180 11.9%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 40.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Colonia

$57 3.8%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 36.7% $21

Getting Around

Colonia

$17 * 1.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 387% $67

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 $597 in Colonia and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Colonia vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $332, with Colonia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Colonia

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

Same time as Colonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,231

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Colonia Montevideo 160 km

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Colonia
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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

Colonia vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colonia wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colonia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,266 in Colonia and $2,656 in Montevideo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $597 in Colonia versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,511 per month in Colonia versus $1,771 in Montevideo – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,511 in Colonia versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colonia but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Colonia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colonia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,511 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colonia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Colonia 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 Colonia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.