Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $952 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Colima
Learn more

Colima Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Colima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $952 in Colima.

Montevideo $1,771
Colima $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,562 in Colima.

Montevideo $2,740
Colima $1,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,173 in Colima.

Montevideo $3,708
Colima $2,173

Living in Montevideo is roughly 86% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Colima is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$7.58 MX$140

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$33.52 MX$619

106.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.16 MX$132

104.61%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.24 MX$41.33

99.11%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.00 MX$18.48

167.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.84 MX$15.45

138.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.23 MX$41.16

116.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$2.45 MX$45.24

55.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.55 MX$28.57

-12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.64 MX$48.76

8.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.21 MX$22.40

44.63%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.76 MX$51.0

69.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.01 MX$148

73.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$8.35 MX$154

43.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$9.86 MX$182

21.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$2.85 MX$52.7

-2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.44 MX$26.63

90.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.78 MX$32.82

-0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.26 MX$41.70

43.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$2.30 MX$42.50

-14.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$2.30 MX$42.58

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.43 MX$26.36

-4.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.09 MX$20.09

72.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.61 MX$66.8

54.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$6.76 MX$125

29.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.56 MX$28.83

44.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.77 MX$32.64

55.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.63 MX$11.73

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$19.51 MX$361

280.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$2.40 MX$44.35

-20.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.82 MX$52.1

-85.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.41 MX$174

9.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.43 MX$26.45

48.95%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.9K MX$386.3K

29.69%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$22.7K MX$419.1K

59.89%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$64.9 MX$1,198

190.32%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$20.24 MX$374

1.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$29.71 MX$549

50.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$35.28 MX$652

52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

$21.72 MX$401

-9.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.63 MX$85.6

158.10%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$147 MX$2,712

332.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$2,496 MX$46.1K

342.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$45.09 MX$833

126.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$25.11 MX$464

129.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$74.1 MX$1,369

70.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$102 MX$1,884

25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$262 MX$4,849

173.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$261 MX$4,831

117.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$369 MX$6,826

209.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$589 MX$10.9K

73.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$287 MX$5,301

333.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

11.3

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Colima

$261 27.5% 54% $306

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Colima

$250 26.2% 24.8% $82

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Colima

$132 13.9% 50.8% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Colima

$115 12.1% 54.7% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Colima

$111 11.6% 40.5% $76

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Colima

$39 4.1% 54.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Colima

$45 4.7% 42.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $262 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 334% 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: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $34.00 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $250 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

3 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

146,965

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Colima 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montevideo and Colima differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($1,771 vs $952 including rent). Colima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 334% 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: $719 in Montevideo versus $262 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 281% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $147 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $952 in Colima versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Colima 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 Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.