Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbus, OH and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Montevideo: $1,813 a month against $2,476 in Columbus, OH, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Columbus, OH
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Columbus, OH Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index

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Columbus, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,476

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,476 per month in Columbus, OH vs $1,813 in Montevideo, rent included.

Columbus, OH $2,476
Montevideo $1,813

A couple spends around $3,676 per month in Columbus, OH vs $2,782 in Montevideo, rent included.

Columbus, OH $3,676
Montevideo $2,782

A family of three spends $4,875 per month in Columbus, OH vs $3,750 in Montevideo, rent included.

Columbus, OH $4,875
Montevideo $3,750

Columbus, OH costs about 37% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Columbus, OH and Montevideo sit above the global median – Columbus, OH by 85%, Montevideo by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.76 $21.76

$15.26 UYU 613

42.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$67.4 UYU 2,711

13.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$14.37 UYU 578

-18.09%

Cappuccino

$5.33 $5.33

$4.64 UYU 187

14.87%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$2.73 UYU 110

-6.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.09 UYU 84.0

-4.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$4.75 UYU 191

25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$3.67 UYU 147

92.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.38 UYU 55.5

-32.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.77 UYU 112

15.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$1.69 UYU 67.8

204.73%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$4.52 UYU 182

-16.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.96 $13.96

$14.17 UYU 570

-1.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$12.07 UYU 485

23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.63 $15.63

$12.16 UYU 489

28.54%

Apples (1kg)

$6.34 $6.34

$2.87 UYU 116

120.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.75 UYU 110

-40.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.73 UYU 69.5

243.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.24 UYU 130

47.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.07 UYU 83.1

43.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.07 UYU 83.1

66.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.38 UYU 55.4

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.85 UYU 74.5

27.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 $9.86

$5.57 UYU 224

77.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 $16.20

$8.89 UYU 357

82.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.29 UYU 92.2

-7.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.70 UYU 109

10.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.52 UYU 61.3

34.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 $62.9

$73.7 UYU 2,962

-14.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.82 UYU 73.4

63.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 $1.30

$0.40 UYU 16.05

225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.43 $27.43

$10.66 UYU 429

157.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$2.22 UYU 89.2

-54.95%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

36.17%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

-31.29%

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

$224 $224

$191 UYU 7,674

17.39%

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

$66.9 $66.9

$20.40 UYU 820

227.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$44.14 UYU 1,775

53.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.98 $34.98

$54.1 UYU 2,177

-35.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.10 $41.10

$19.68 UYU 791

108.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 $13.24

$12.33 UYU 496

7.38%

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

$1,623 $1,623

$613 UYU 24.7K

164.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

214.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.87 $48.87

$103 UYU 4,134

-52.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.84 $41.84

$56.1 UYU 2,255

-25.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 $80.2

$124 UYU 5,000

-35.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$130 UYU 5,214

-14.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,529 $1,529

$705 UYU 28.4K

116.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 $1,114

$575 UYU 23.1K

93.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

107.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,832 $1,832

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

80.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,442 $3,442

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

2.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,809 $1,809

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

-6.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,772 $3,772

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

206.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

5.74

15.68%

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

Last update for Columbus, OH: 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

Columbus, OH

$1.1K 44.4%

Montevideo

$575 32.3% 48.3% $538

Groceries & Markets

Columbus, OH

$431 17.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 22.9% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbus, OH

$359 14.3%

Montevideo

$255 14.3% 28.8% $103

Eating Out

Columbus, OH

$335 13.4%

Montevideo

$271 15.2% 19.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Columbus, OH

$127 5.1%

Montevideo

$186 10.4% 46.4% $59

Getting Around

Columbus, OH

$81 3.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.7% 3.7% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Columbus, OH

$61 2.5%

Montevideo

$79 4.4% 28.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,529 in Columbus, OH versus $705 in Montevideo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 207% higher in Columbus, OH, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Columbus, OH versus $67.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $332 – making Montevideo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbus, OH

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h ahead of Columbus, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

905,748

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 = 45.06 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

UYU to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Columbus, OH Montevideo 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Columbus, OH
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

Columbus, OH vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbus, OH costs about 37% more than Montevideo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,715 per month in Columbus, OH and $2,720 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montevideo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,476 in Columbus, OH and $1,813 in Montevideo. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Montevideo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Montevideo, where all-in costs run around $1,813, than in Columbus, OH at $2,476. In Montevideo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Columbus, OH it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montevideo costs $1,813 versus $2,476 in Columbus, OH. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Montevideo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Columbus, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.