Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colonia and Salto

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,327 a month against $1,511 in Colonia, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
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Colonia Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index

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Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,511

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colonia and in Salto

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 Salto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,511 in Colonia versus $1,327 in Salto.

Colonia $1,511
Salto $1,327

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,462 in Colonia versus $1,946 in Salto.

Colonia $2,462
Salto $1,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,413 in Colonia versus $2,565 in Salto.

Colonia $3,413
Salto $2,565

Living in Colonia is roughly 14% more expensive than in Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Colonia is 12% above, Salto is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.94 UYU 640

$16.15 UYU 648

-1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 UYU 3,015

$36.91 UYU 1,481

103.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.92 UYU 519

$11.70 UYU 470

10.43%

Cappuccino

$5.83 UYU 234

$3.34 UYU 134

74.55%

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

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$2.16 UYU 86.7

-14.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 UYU 56.2

$1.60 UYU 64.2

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 UYU 196

$4.43 UYU 178

10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 UYU 190

$3.03 UYU 122

56.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 UYU 46.11

$1.40 UYU 56.1

-17.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 UYU 84.7

$2.15 UYU 86.5

-1.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.39

$1.51 UYU 60.6

-19.87%

Eggs

$3.51 UYU 141

$5.15 UYU 207

-31.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 UYU 400

$14.85 UYU 596

-32.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 UYU 495

$8.59 UYU 345

43.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 UYU 443

$10.20 UYU 410

8.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 UYU 87.3

$1.22 UYU 49.03

77.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 UYU 76.0

$2.26 UYU 90.6

-16.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 UYU 51.1

$1.20 UYU 48.25

5.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 UYU 224

$1.87 UYU 75.0

198.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 UYU 81.8

$0.84 UYU 33.76

142.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 UYU 79.3

$1.70 UYU 68.4

16.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 UYU 49.17

$0.95 UYU 38.05

29.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 UYU 50.2

$1.52 UYU 61.1

-17.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.65 UYU 307

$5.13 UYU 206

49.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 UYU 506

$7.43 UYU 298

69.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 UYU 178

$1.87 UYU 75.1

137.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 UYU 101

$2.68 UYU 108

-5.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 UYU 38.29

$0.64 UYU 25.63

48.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 UYU 1,205

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 UYU 34.47

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 UYU 101

$3.80 UYU 152

-33.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 UYU 79.4

$1.89 UYU 76.0

4.76%

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

$32.0K UYU 1.3M

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

$39.2K UYU 1.6M

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

$123 UYU 4,923

$200 UYU 8,024

-38.65%

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

$18.70 UYU 750

$21.57 UYU 866

-13.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 UYU 1,555

$30.06 UYU 1,207

28.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.35 UYU 1,660

$35.99 UYU 1,445

14.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.52 UYU 503

$12.49 UYU 501

0.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 UYU 313

$10.07 UYU 404

-22.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,494 UYU 180.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 UYU 2,274

$88.6 UYU 3,557

-36.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 UYU 2,027

$56.0 UYU 2,246

-9.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 UYU 4,503

$113 UYU 4,525

-0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 UYU 8,079

$66.1 UYU 2,652

204.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$597 UYU 24.0K

$444 UYU 17.8K

34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 UYU 18.9K

$303 UYU 12.2K

55.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 UYU 45.2K

$738 UYU 29.6K

52.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 UYU 39.2K

$423 UYU 17.0K

130.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 UYU 24.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

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

Last update for Colonia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colonia

$470 31.1%

Salto

$303 22.8% 35.6% $167

Groceries & Markets

Colonia

$314 20.8%

Salto

$272 20.5% 13.4% $42

Eating Out

Colonia

$283 18.7%

Salto

$248 18.7% 12.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Colonia

$189 12.5%

Salto

$146 11% 23.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colonia

$180 11.9%

Salto

$252 19% 39.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Colonia

$57 3.8%

Salto

$56 4.2% 1.4% $0.8

Getting Around

Colonia

$17 * 1.2%

Salto

$52 * 3.9% 198% $34

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 $444 in Salto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Colonia vs $37.00 in Salto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $272 per month, with Salto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Colonia

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

Same time as Colonia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,231

104,028

💱 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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Between locations

Colonia Salto 340 km

From you

Colonia
Salto

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

Colonia vs Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salto wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Colonia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Salto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,266 in Colonia and $1,990 in Salto 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 $444 in Salto. 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 $1,327 in Salto – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Colonia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,327 in Salto versus $1,511 in Colonia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Salto but tight or insufficient in Colonia. The gap between the two cities makes Salto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Colonia and Salto 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 Salto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Colonia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.