Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Barranquilla

For one person, living is cheaper in Barranquilla: $1,439 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Barranquilla
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Barranquilla Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Barranquilla

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Barranquilla

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montevideo and in Barranquilla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,439 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Barranquilla $1,439

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,247 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Barranquilla $2,247

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $3,056 in Barranquilla, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Barranquilla $3,056

Montevideo costs about 26% more than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Barranquilla sit above the global median – Montevideo by 35%, Barranquilla by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$8.66 COP 27.6K

76.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,711

$62.1 COP 198.0K

8.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 578

$13.40 COP 42.7K

7.24%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 187

$2.62 COP 8,356

77.10%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.35 COP 4,298

102.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 84.0

$1.23 COP 3,929

69.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.04 COP 9,679

56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$7.70 COP 24.5K

-52.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.5

$0.90 COP 2,875

53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 112

$1.24 COP 3,966

123.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.8

$1.52 COP 4,834

11.18%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.04 COP 6,509

121.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 570

$4.77 COP 15.2K

197.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$17.28 COP 55.1K

-30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 489

$6.84 COP 21.8K

77.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 116

$2.19 COP 6,985

31.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$0.95 COP 3,031

189.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.5

$0.58 COP 1,862

198.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.87 COP 5,948

73.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.20 COP 3,831

72.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$0.95 COP 3,019

117.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.25 COP 3,971

10.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.5

$0.95 COP 3,017

94.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$5.02 COP 16.0K

10.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.31 COP 39.2K

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.2

$1.50 COP 4,783

52.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 109

$4.52 COP 14.4K

-40.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.3

$1.13 COP 3,615

34.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.4

$3.31 COP 10.6K

-45.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.05

$3.01 COP 9,582

-86.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 429

$15.51 COP 49.4K

-31.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.2

$1.29 COP 4,122

72.09%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$21.3K COP 68.0M

25.38%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$27.9K COP 88.9M

31.69%

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

$191 UYU 7,674

$148 COP 471.7K

28.92%

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

$20.40 UYU 820

$14.29 COP 45.5K

42.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,775

$32.19 COP 102.6K

37.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,177

$33.20 COP 105.8K

63.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 791

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 496

$4.47 COP 14.2K

175.84%

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

$613 UYU 24.7K

$301 COP 959.1K

103.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 444.3K

$4,623 COP 14.7M

139.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,134

$109 COP 346.3K

-5.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,255

$46.51 COP 148.2K

20.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 5,000

$181 COP 577.5K

-31.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,214

$245 COP 781.3K

-47.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.4K

$760 COP 2.4M

-7.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$489 COP 1.6M

17.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.8K

$796 COP 2.5M

43.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$883 COP 2.8M

15.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.6K

$1,793 COP 5.7M

86.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.1K

$616 COP 2.0M

215.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$502 COP 1.6M

144.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-42.60%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Barranquilla: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Barranquilla

$489 33.9% 15% $87

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Barranquilla

$248 17.2% 25.3% $84

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Barranquilla

$182 12.6% 33% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Barranquilla

$195 13.5% 23.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Barranquilla

$262 18.2% 40.9% $76

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Barranquilla

$23 * 1.6% 72.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Barranquilla

$42 2.9% 46.5% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $760 in Barranquilla. 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 145% higher in Montevideo, 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 $67.0 in Montevideo versus $62.0 in Barranquilla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $248 – making Barranquilla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Barranquilla

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,327,209

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Barranquilla 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Barranquilla

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

Montevideo vs Barranquilla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 26% more than Barranquilla, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $2,158 in Barranquilla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barranquilla, 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 $1,813 in Montevideo and $1,439 in Barranquilla. That's a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Montevideo and $301 in Barranquilla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Barranquilla, where all-in costs run around $1,439, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Barranquilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Barranquilla costs $1,439 versus $1,813 in Montevideo. 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 Barranquilla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.