Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Buenaventura

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenaventura: $1,308 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Buenaventura

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Montevideo vs $1,308 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Montevideo $1,784
Buenaventura $1,308

A couple spends around $2,756 per month in Montevideo vs $2,012 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Montevideo $2,756
Buenaventura $2,012

A family of three spends $3,728 per month in Montevideo vs $2,716 in Buenaventura, rent included.

Montevideo $3,728
Buenaventura $2,716

Montevideo costs about 36% more than Buenaventura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 32% above the global median, while Buenaventura is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$7.61 COP 24.1K

94.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$42.62 COP 135.1K

63.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$9.41 COP 29.8K

56.00%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$2.59 COP 8,225

79.54%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.38 COP 4,370

98.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$0.89 COP 2,835

132.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$3.14 COP 9,959

52.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$3.73 COP 11.8K

-2.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.43 COP 4,538

-2.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.41 COP 7,642

19.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.63 COP 5,169

4.29%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$2.95 COP 9,353

56.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$7.86 COP 24.9K

80.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$9.62 COP 30.5K

20.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$12.27 COP 38.9K

-0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$3.58 COP 11.4K

-22.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.47 COP 4,665

93.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$1.91 COP 6,047

-5.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$1.80 COP 5,696

77.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$1.49 COP 4,737

30.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$1.48 COP 4,694

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.19 COP 3,758

20.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.20 COP 3,811

61.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$3.95 COP 12.5K

38.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$13.14 COP 41.7K

-31.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.41 COP 4,474

60.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.38 COP 7,555

18.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$1.09 COP 3,450

43.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$1.60 COP 5,079

18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$2.04 COP 6,457

-78.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$9.02 COP 28.6K

17.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.29 COP 4,080

64.34%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$24.7K COP 78.5M

8.29%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$35.4K COP 112.2M

4.57%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$126 COP 399.9K

52.64%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$13.14 COP 41.7K

59.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$29.17 COP 92.5K

53.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$38.15 COP 120.9K

33.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$6.50 COP 20.6K

89.23%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$630 COP 2.0M

-0.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$7,516 COP 23.8M

44.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$84.9 COP 269.2K

22.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$54.4 COP 172.5K

5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$139 COP 440.5K

-10.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$103 COP 328.1K

27.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$653 COP 2.1M

9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$475 COP 1.5M

21.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$997 COP 3.2M

16.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$875 COP 2.8M

18.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$1,966 COP 6.2M

73.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$1,628 COP 5.2M

8.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.58

-50.43%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Buenaventura

$475 36.3% 17.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Buenaventura

$273 20.9% 18.1% $60

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Buenaventura

$153 11.7% 43.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Buenaventura

$168 12.9% 34.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Buenaventura

$172 13.1% 8.8% $17

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2% 80.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Buenaventura

$51 3.9% 32.1% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $713 in Montevideo versus $653 in Buenaventura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montevideo versus $43.00 in Buenaventura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $273 – making Buenaventura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

365,607

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Buenaventura 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Buenaventura

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 Buenaventura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,784 in Montevideo, $1,308 in Buenaventura – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Montevideo and $1,962 in Buenaventura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montevideo and $43.00 in Buenaventura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenaventura, where all-in costs run around $1,308, than in Montevideo at $1,784. In Buenaventura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montevideo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,308 in Buenaventura to $1,784 in Montevideo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Buenaventura. 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.