Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $1,813 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,813

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,813 in Montevideo versus $1,054 in Cali.

Montevideo $1,813
Cali $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,782 in Montevideo versus $1,614 in Cali.

Montevideo $2,782
Cali $1,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,750 in Montevideo versus $2,174 in Cali.

Montevideo $3,750
Cali $2,174

Living in Montevideo is roughly 72% more expensive than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 35% above, Cali is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 UYU 613

$7.26 COP 23.4K

110.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 UYU 2,707

$37.04 COP 119.3K

82.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.37 UYU 577

$8.05 COP 25.9K

78.51%

Cappuccino

$4.64 UYU 186

$1.54 COP 4,972

201.30%

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

$2.73 UYU 110

$1.25 COP 4,027

118.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 UYU 83.9

$0.84 COP 2,702

148.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 UYU 191

$3.16 COP 10.2K

50.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 UYU 147

$3.58 COP 11.5K

2.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.55 COP 4,998

-10.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 UYU 111

$1.87 COP 6,026

48.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 UYU 67.7

$1.50 COP 4,822

12.67%

Eggs

$4.52 UYU 182

$2.77 COP 8,907

63.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.17 UYU 569

$6.40 COP 20.6K

121.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 485

$6.89 COP 22.2K

75.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 UYU 488

$9.92 COP 31.9K

22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 UYU 115

$3.43 COP 11.0K

-16.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.30 COP 4,186

111.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 UYU 69.4

$1.76 COP 5,659

-1.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.68 COP 5,421

92.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.47 COP 4,730

40.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.0

$1.47 COP 4,722

40.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 UYU 55.4

$1.10 COP 3,551

25.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 UYU 74.4

$0.93 COP 3,004

98.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 UYU 224

$3.63 COP 11.7K

53.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.89 UYU 357

$12.56 COP 40.5K

-29.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 UYU 92.1

$1.42 COP 4,565

61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 UYU 108

$2.40 COP 7,712

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 UYU 61.2

$1.05 COP 3,370

44.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 UYU 2,958

$29.00 COP 93.4K

154.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 UYU 73.3

$0.83 COP 2,664

119.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.66 UYU 428

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.0

$1.25 COP 4,040

77.60%

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

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

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

$36.7K UYU 1.5M

$33.7K COP 108.5M

9.03%

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

$191 UYU 7,662

$111 COP 358.1K

71.60%

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

$20.40 UYU 819

$12.79 COP 41.2K

59.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.14 UYU 1,772

$29.75 COP 95.8K

48.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 UYU 2,174

$28.38 COP 91.4K

90.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 UYU 790

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 UYU 495

$8.24 COP 26.5K

49.64%

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

$613 UYU 24.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K UYU 443.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 UYU 4,128

$75.8 COP 243.9K

35.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 UYU 2,251

$53.8 COP 173.3K

4.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 UYU 4,993

$122 COP 394.4K

1.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 UYU 5,207

$109 COP 350.7K

19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 UYU 28.3K

$638 COP 2.1M

10.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$291 COP 937.4K

97.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 UYU 45.7K

$1,498 COP 4.8M

-24.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 UYU 40.8K

$479 COP 1.5M

112.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,349 UYU 134.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 UYU 78.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 UYU 49.4K

$567 COP 1.8M

116.83%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.3%

Cali

$291 27.6% 49.4% $284

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cali

$235 22.3% 29.3% $97

Eating Out

Montevideo

$271 15.2%

Cali

$132 12.5% 51.3% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$255 14.3%

Cali

$154 14.6% 39.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.4%

Cali

$162 15.4% 12.6% $23

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Cali

$34 * 3.2% 59.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$79 4.4%

Cali

$45 4.3% 43.1% $34

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 $705 in Montevideo and $638 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 117% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Montevideo vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $235 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

2,568,609

💱 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 Cali 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Montevideo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $705 in Montevideo versus $638 in Cali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $67.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 154% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $1,813 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montevideo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.