Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,771 a month against $2,317 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Columbia, TN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

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

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,317

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,317 in Columbia, TN versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Columbia, TN $2,317
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Columbia, TN versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Columbia, TN $3,477
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Columbia, TN versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Columbia, TN $4,637
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 31% more expensive than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 72% above, Montevideo 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 $11.87

$15.16 UYU 609

-21.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-12.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$14.65 UYU 588

-31.19%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$4.46 UYU 179

-11.43%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$2.67 UYU 107

-16.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-21.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 $6.38

$4.83 UYU 194

32.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.27 $7.27

$3.80 UYU 152

91.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-30.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.87 UYU 115

3.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.75 UYU 70.2

134.29%

Eggs

$2.61 $2.61

$4.68 UYU 188

-44.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$13.88 UYU 557

-4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$11.98 UYU 481

-45.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$11.97 UYU 480

12.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.78 UYU 111

100.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.74 UYU 110

-55.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$1.77 UYU 71.2

224.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.24 UYU 130

23.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.97 UYU 79.2

59.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.07 UYU 83.1

101.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.37 UYU 55.1

77.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.88 UYU 75.3

12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$5.59 UYU 224

89.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$8.78 UYU 352

49.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.75 UYU 110

-42.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.91 UYU 76.7

2.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$0.40 UYU 16.18

252.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 $19.79

$10.33 UYU 415

91.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-64.32%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

38.71%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-24.47%

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

$157 $157

$188 UYU 7,557

-16.80%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$20.54 UYU 824

192.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$44.81 UYU 1,798

67.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.38 $34.38

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-36.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$11.95 UYU 480

5.44%

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

$1,696 $1,696

$634 UYU 25.5K

167.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

124.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.58 $40.58

$102 UYU 4,099

-60.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 $33.45

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-41.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$127 UYU 5,079

-34.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 $88.6

$128 UYU 5,131

-30.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$719 UYU 28.8K

105.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$568 UYU 22.8K

122.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

117.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,343 $2,343

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

128.95%

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 %)

6.6

5.74

14.98%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: 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

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.6%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 55.1% $697

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$348 15%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 4.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$292 12.6%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 13.1% $38

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$234 10.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 14.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 68.9% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$60 2.6%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 30.7% $18

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$9 * 0.4%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 837% $75

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 $1,476 in Columbia, TN and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Columbia, TN vs $69.0 in Montevideo. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $332, with Montevideo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

2 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Columbia, TN Montevideo 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Montevideo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,476 in Columbia, TN 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: $1,476 in Columbia, TN versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,696 in Columbia, TN 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 $60.0 in Columbia, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,771 in Montevideo versus $2,317 in Columbia, TN, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montevideo but tight or insufficient in Columbia, TN. 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, TN, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Columbia, TN 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 31% less than in Columbia, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.