Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, SC and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,257 in Columbia, SC, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

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

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Columbia, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,257

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,257 in Columbia, SC versus $1,813 in Montevideo.

Columbia, SC $2,257
Montevideo $1,813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,448 in Columbia, SC versus $2,782 in Montevideo.

Columbia, SC $3,448
Montevideo $2,782

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,639 in Columbia, SC versus $3,750 in Montevideo.

Columbia, SC $4,639
Montevideo $3,750

Living in Columbia, SC is roughly 24% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, SC 68% above, Montevideo 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$15.26 UYU 613

32.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$67.4 UYU 2,711

-12.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 $12.14

$14.37 UYU 578

-15.52%

Cappuccino

$5.26 $5.26

$4.64 UYU 187

13.36%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$2.73 UYU 110

4.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.09 UYU 84.0

5.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 $5.63

$4.75 UYU 191

18.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 $6.68

$3.67 UYU 147

82.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.77 UYU 112

-10.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.69 UYU 67.8

177.51%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.52 UYU 182

-7.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 $10.26

$14.17 UYU 570

-27.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$12.07 UYU 485

-8.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.12 $16.12

$12.16 UYU 489

32.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.87 UYU 116

74.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.75 UYU 110

-43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$1.73 UYU 69.5

279.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$3.24 UYU 130

91.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.07 UYU 83.1

52.66%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.07 UYU 83.1

101.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.38 UYU 55.4

37.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.85 UYU 74.5

-5.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.27 $8.27

$5.57 UYU 224

48.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 $16.20

$8.89 UYU 357

82.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.70 UYU 109

-0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.52 UYU 61.3

34.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.05 $40.05

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-45.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.82 UYU 73.4

8.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$0.40 UYU 16.05

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.90 $17.90

$10.66 UYU 429

67.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-55.86%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

28.77%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-32.32%

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

$270 $270

$191 UYU 7,674

41.35%

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

$59.5 $59.5

$20.40 UYU 820

191.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$44.14 UYU 1,775

47.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 $36.84

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-31.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.87 $17.87

$19.68 UYU 791

-9.20%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$12.33 UYU 496

23.36%

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

$1,122 $1,122

$613 UYU 24.7K

82.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K $22.6K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

104.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$103 UYU 4,134

-50.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 $40.48

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-27.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$124 UYU 5,000

-32.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$130 UYU 5,214

-11.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 $1,270

$705 UYU 28.4K

80.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 $855

$575 UYU 23.1K

48.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

91.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

74.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,102 $2,102

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

-37.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 $1,639

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-15.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,253 $3,253

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

164.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

5.74

14.29%

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

Last update for Columbia, SC: 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

Columbia, SC

$855 38.6%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 32.7% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, SC

$395 17.8%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 35.3% $139

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, SC

$388 17.5%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 14.3% $56

Eating Out

Columbia, SC

$323 14.6%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 16.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, SC

$131 5.9%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 42% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, SC

$67 3%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 17.2% $12

Getting Around

Columbia, SC

$58 2.6%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 44% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,270 in Columbia, SC and $705 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, SC pays 165% 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: $59.0 in Columbia, SC vs $67.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, SC

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h ahead of Columbia, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.21 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.1 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, SC Montevideo 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 165% higher in Columbia, SC, 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: $1,270 in Columbia, SC versus $705 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Columbia, SC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montevideo – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $59.0 in Columbia, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,813 in Montevideo versus $2,257 in Columbia, SC, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Columbia, SC. 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, SC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Columbia, SC 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 24% less than in Columbia, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.