Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,310 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Bogota

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 Bogota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,813 per month in Montevideo vs $1,310 in Bogota, rent included.

Montevideo $1,813
Bogota $1,310

A couple spends around $2,782 per month in Montevideo vs $2,073 in Bogota, rent included.

Montevideo $2,782
Bogota $2,073

A family of three spends $3,750 per month in Montevideo vs $2,836 in Bogota, rent included.

Montevideo $3,750
Bogota $2,836

Montevideo costs about 38% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 35% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$7.62 COP 24.5K

100.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$40.93 COP 131.8K

64.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$9.96 COP 32.1K

44.28%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$2.46 COP 7,933

88.62%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.36 COP 4,394

100.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.82 COP 2,631

154.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$2.01 COP 6,472

136.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.85 COP 12.4K

-4.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.62 COP 5,213

-14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$2.46 COP 7,909

12.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.65 COP 5,311

2.42%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$3.45 COP 11.1K

31.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$7.69 COP 24.8K

84.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$7.02 COP 22.6K

71.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$9.72 COP 31.3K

25.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.47 COP 11.2K

-17.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.78 COP 5,732

54.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$1.96 COP 6,305

-11.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.75 COP 5,637

85.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.40 COP 4,507

47.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.39 COP 4,479

48.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.31 COP 4,232

5.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$1.16 COP 3,724

59.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$4.15 COP 13.4K

34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.24 COP 39.4K

-27.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.42 COP 4,575

61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.83 COP 9,117

-4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$1.06 COP 3,426

43.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$48.65 COP 156.7K

51.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$2.28 COP 7,335

-20.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

$2.31 COP 7,454

-82.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

$9.26 COP 29.8K

15.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.26 COP 4,042

76.19%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

$23.4K COP 75.3M

14.43%

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$35.3K COP 113.7M

4.07%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$121 COP 389.4K

57.80%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$15.63 COP 50.3K

30.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$29.00 COP 93.4K

52.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$32.55 COP 104.8K

66.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

$15.14 COP 48.7K

29.99%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$7.55 COP 24.3K

63.31%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

$465 COP 1.5M

31.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

$8,119 COP 26.1M

36.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$82.5 COP 265.6K

24.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$46.69 COP 150.3K

20.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$142 COP 457.4K

-12.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$104 COP 335.2K

24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$781 COP 2.5M

-9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$440 COP 1.4M

30.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,258 COP 4.1M

-9.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$974 COP 3.1M

4.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

$2,755 COP 8.9M

21.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

$2,239 COP 7.2M

-13.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$795 COP 2.6M

54.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

12.81

-55.19%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Bogota

$440 34% 23.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Bogota

$256 19.9% 22.8% $76

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Bogota

$147 11.4% 45.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Bogota

$166 12.8% 35.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Bogota

$169 13.1% 9.1% $17

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Bogota

$67 5.2% 20.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Bogota

$48 3.7% 39.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $705 in Montevideo versus $781 in Bogota. 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 55% 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 $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $256 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

21:50 9:50 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Bogota 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Bogota

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 Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,720 per month in Montevideo and $1,966 in Bogota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bogota, 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 $1,310 in Bogota. That's a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,310, than in Montevideo at $1,813. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bogota – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bogota. 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.