Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, MO and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,784 a month against $2,049 in Columbia, MO, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Columbia, MO outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, MO
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Columbia, MO Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Columbia, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,049

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,049 in Columbia, MO versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Columbia, MO $2,049
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,865 in Columbia, MO versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Columbia, MO $2,865
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Columbia, MO versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Columbia, MO $3,682
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Columbia, MO is roughly 16% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, MO 51% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.12 $16.12

$14.82 UYU 595

8.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 $73.2

$69.7 UYU 2,797

5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$14.68 UYU 589

-19.35%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$4.65 UYU 186

1.51%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$2.74 UYU 110

-9.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.07 UYU 82.9

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.79 UYU 192

5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 $5.56

$3.63 UYU 146

53.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.39 UYU 55.8

-21.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.89 UYU 116

-3.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.70 UYU 68.1

154.71%

Eggs

$3.40 $3.40

$4.62 UYU 185

-26.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$14.22 UYU 571

-20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$11.62 UYU 466

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$12.23 UYU 491

15.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.77 UYU 111

46.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.85 UYU 114

-32.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.81 UYU 72.5

146.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.20 UYU 129

42.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.94 UYU 77.8

46.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.16 UYU 86.5

19.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.43 UYU 57.3

16.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.94 UYU 77.9

5.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 $8.01

$5.47 UYU 219

46.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$8.95 UYU 359

87.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.81 UYU 113

-16.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.90 UYU 76.2

150.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.43 UYU 17.36

134.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 $22.83

$10.59 UYU 425

115.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.12 UYU 85.2

-50.47%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

33.33%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-29.62%

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

$179 $179

$193 UYU 7,727

-6.98%

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

$46.85 $46.85

$20.91 UYU 839

124.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 $57.6

$44.89 UYU 1,802

28.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.12 $30.12

$50.8 UYU 2,038

-40.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.35 $23.35

$19.73 UYU 792

18.35%

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$12.30 UYU 494

4.96%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$629 UYU 25.2K

88.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

18.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.26 $48.26

$104 UYU 4,166

-53.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 $33.10

$57.4 UYU 2,305

-42.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 $94.2

$125 UYU 5,010

-24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 $86.3

$132 UYU 5,315

-34.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 $1,221

$713 UYU 28.6K

71.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 $934

$575 UYU 23.1K

62.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

55.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

13.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 $2,061

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

-39.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 $1,877

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

6.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,084 $4,084

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

228.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

5.74

13.94%

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

Last update for Columbia, MO: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, MO

$934 45.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.2% 38.4% $358

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, MO

$372 18.1%

Montevideo

$334 18.7% 10.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, MO

$284 13.8%

Montevideo

$258 14.5% 8.9% $25

Eating Out

Columbia, MO

$276 13.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.1% 2.6% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, MO

$118 5.8%

Montevideo

$188 10.6% 59.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, MO

$56 2.7%

Montevideo

$75 4.2% 34.7% $19

Getting Around

Columbia, MO

$9.8 * 0.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 759% $74

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 $1,221 in Columbia, MO and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, MO pays 228% 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: $73.0 in Columbia, MO vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $332 per month, with Montevideo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, MO

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

2 h ahead of Columbia, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, MO Montevideo 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, MO
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

Columbia, MO vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 228% higher in Columbia, MO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,221 in Columbia, MO versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,185 in Columbia, MO versus $634 in Montevideo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $73.0 in Columbia, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,049 in Columbia, MO, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Columbia, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Montevideo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Columbia, MO 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 Montevideo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Columbia, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.