Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monteria and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,227 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,227

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,227 in Monteria versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Monteria $1,227
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,997 in Monteria versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Monteria $1,997
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,767 in Monteria versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Monteria $2,767
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Monteria costs roughly 31% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monteria is 9% below, Montevideo is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.73 COP 18.2K

$15.16 UYU 610

-62.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.91 COP 133.0K

$69.2 UYU 2,783

-39.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 COP 32.7K

$14.65 UYU 589

-29.62%

Cappuccino

$2.57 COP 8,158

$4.46 UYU 179

-42.38%

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

$2.57 COP 8,168

$2.67 UYU 107

-3.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 COP 7,191

$2.00 UYU 80.6

13.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 COP 10.4K

$4.83 UYU 194

-31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 COP 16.4K

$3.80 UYU 153

35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 COP 6,038

$1.36 UYU 54.9

39.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 COP 8,835

$2.87 UYU 115

-3.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,526

$1.75 UYU 70.3

-18.29%

Eggs

$4.83 COP 15.3K

$4.68 UYU 188

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.98 COP 25.3K

$13.88 UYU 559

-42.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 COP 30.0K

$11.98 UYU 482

-21.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.49 COP 42.8K

$11.97 UYU 481

12.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 COP 10.0K

$2.78 UYU 112

13.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 COP 3,941

$2.74 UYU 110

-54.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 COP 6,564

$1.77 UYU 71.4

16.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,737

$3.24 UYU 130

-44.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,319

$1.97 UYU 79.4

-14.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 COP 5,008

$2.07 UYU 83.3

-23.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 COP 3,878

$1.37 UYU 55.3

-10.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 COP 3,689

$1.88 UYU 75.5

-38.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$5.59 UYU 225

-27.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.66 COP 46.5K

$8.78 UYU 353

66.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 COP 4,619

$2.26 UYU 91.1

-35.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 COP 7,424

$2.75 UYU 111

-14.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 COP 3,768

$1.53 UYU 61.6

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,988

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 COP 4,993

$1.91 UYU 76.9

-17.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$0.40 UYU 16.23

820.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.57 COP 30.4K

$10.33 UYU 416

-7.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,122

$2.13 UYU 85.8

-38.97%

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

$23.5K COP 74.6M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-13.21%

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

$34.4K COP 109.1M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-5.21%

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

$78.0 COP 247.5K

$188 UYU 7,577

-58.58%

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

$14.49 COP 46.0K

$20.54 UYU 826

-29.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.19 COP 79.9K

$44.81 UYU 1,803

-43.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.38 COP 137.6K

$54.0 UYU 2,171

-19.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 795

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.2K

$11.95 UYU 481

-31.05%

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

$618 COP 2.0M

$634 UYU 25.5K

-2.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,835 COP 18.5M

$11.1K UYU 444.7K

-47.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 COP 239.5K

$102 UYU 4,109

-26.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 COP 175.8K

$57.5 UYU 2,315

-3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.5K

$127 UYU 5,092

4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 COP 345.0K

$128 UYU 5,144

-14.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 COP 2.3M

$719 UYU 28.9K

2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 COP 1.3M

$568 UYU 22.8K

-27.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 COP 3.2M

$1,145 UYU 46.1K

-10.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$913 COP 2.9M

$1,023 UYU 41.2K

-10.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,174 COP 6.9M

$3,392 UYU 136.5K

-35.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,691 COP 5.4M

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

-13.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

161.32%

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

Last update for Monteria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monteria

$411 33.5%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 38.2% $157

Groceries & Markets

Monteria

$293 23.8%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 13.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Monteria

$167 13.6%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 11.4% $19

Eating Out

Monteria

$154 12.5%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 75% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monteria

$118 9.6%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 116% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Monteria

$60 4.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 30.1% $18

Getting Around

Monteria

$25 * 2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 241% $60

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 $736 in Monteria and $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Monteria vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $332 per month, with Monteria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Monteria

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

2 h ahead of Monteria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

454,032

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 3,173 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,559 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 40.24 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monteria Montevideo 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Monteria
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

Monteria vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monteria wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monteria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,840 in Monteria 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: $736 in Monteria versus $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $618 in Monteria 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 Monteria – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,227 in Monteria versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monteria but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Monteria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monteria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,227 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monteria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Monteria 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 Monteria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.