Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,771 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Cartagena

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Cartagena $3,039

Montevideo costs about 37% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Cartagena is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$5.87 COP 18.6K

158.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$143 COP 453.5K

-51.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$10.37 COP 32.9K

41.27%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$4.26 COP 13.5K

4.69%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.54 COP 8,063

5.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$2.36 COP 7,478

-15.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.26 COP 10.3K

48.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$4.96 COP 15.7K

-23.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.91 COP 6,053

-28.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.74 COP 8,692

4.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.45 COP 4,610

20.69%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-7.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$13.13 COP 41.6K

5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-31.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.99 COP 6,304

-5.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$14.64 COP 46.4K

-40.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.40 COP 4,436

61.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.25 COP 3,972

22.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$58.4 COP 185.2K

27.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-59.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-89.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.49 COP 30.1K

8.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.34 COP 4,251

58.96%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$23.4K COP 74.1M

16.00%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.4K COP 109.2M

5.30%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$78.4 COP 248.6K

140.12%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-41.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$8.02 COP 25.4K

49.00%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$630 COP 2.0M

0.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$5,818 COP 18.4M

89.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$1,035 COP 3.3M

-30.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$585 COP 1.9M

-2.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$2,287 COP 7.3M

-49.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$944 COP 3.0M

8.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$924 COP 2.9M

110.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$467 COP 1.5M

166.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-61.73%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 3.1% $17

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 21.9% $73

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 35% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 69.1% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 2.6% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 38.4% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $1,035 in Cartagena. 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 167% 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 $69.0 in Montevideo versus $143 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $332 in Montevideo vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

1,028,736

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.13 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Cartagena 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo costs about 37% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,938 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Montevideo and $630 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $1,771 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 Cartagena. 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.