Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Envigado

For one person, living is cheaper in Envigado: $1,298 a month against $1,784 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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 Envigado
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Envigado Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,784

/mo nomad

Envigado

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Envigado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,784 in Montevideo versus $1,298 in Envigado.

Montevideo $1,784
Envigado $1,298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,756 in Montevideo versus $2,060 in Envigado.

Montevideo $2,756
Envigado $2,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,728 in Montevideo versus $2,823 in Envigado.

Montevideo $3,728
Envigado $2,823

Living in Montevideo is roughly 37% more expensive than in Envigado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 32% above, Envigado is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.82 UYU 595

$7.12 COP 22.6K

108.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 UYU 2,797

$47.77 COP 151.5K

45.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.68 UYU 589

$9.56 COP 30.3K

53.56%

Cappuccino

$4.65 UYU 186

$2.70 COP 8,571

72.22%

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

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.38 COP 4,388

98.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 UYU 82.9

$1.01 COP 3,209

104.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.79 UYU 192

$3.17 COP 10.0K

51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 UYU 146

$3.67 COP 11.6K

-1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 UYU 55.8

$1.34 COP 4,237

3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 UYU 116

$2.59 COP 8,224

11.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 UYU 68.1

$1.52 COP 4,827

11.84%

Eggs

$4.62 UYU 185

$3.24 COP 10.3K

42.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 UYU 571

$9.01 COP 28.6K

57.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 UYU 466

$8.59 COP 27.2K

35.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 UYU 491

$11.80 COP 37.4K

3.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 UYU 111

$4.08 COP 12.9K

-32.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 UYU 114

$1.67 COP 5,298

70.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 UYU 72.5

$2.10 COP 6,672

-13.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 UYU 129

$1.98 COP 6,293

61.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 UYU 77.8

$1.37 COP 4,330

41.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.5

$1.69 COP 5,355

27.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 UYU 57.3

$1.18 COP 3,738

21.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 UYU 77.9

$1.16 COP 3,693

67.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 UYU 219

$4.22 COP 13.4K

29.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 UYU 359

$12.97 COP 41.1K

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.8

$1.39 COP 4,420

62.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 UYU 113

$2.41 COP 7,635

16.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 UYU 62.6

$1.13 COP 3,597

38.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 UYU 2,962

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 UYU 76.2

$1.59 COP 5,051

19.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 UYU 17.36

$1.99 COP 6,311

-78.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.59 UYU 425

$7.34 COP 23.3K

44.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 UYU 85.2

$1.34 COP 4,249

58.21%

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

$26.8K UYU 1.1M

$34.4K COP 109.1M

-22.14%

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

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

$34.9K COP 110.8M

5.89%

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

$193 UYU 7,727

$126 COP 399.5K

52.82%

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

$20.91 UYU 839

$13.19 COP 41.8K

58.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.89 UYU 1,802

$30.90 COP 98.0K

45.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 UYU 2,038

$32.68 COP 103.6K

55.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 UYU 792

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 UYU 494

$6.41 COP 20.3K

91.89%

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

$629 UYU 25.2K

$568 COP 1.8M

10.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K UYU 437.3K

$8,403 COP 26.6M

29.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 UYU 4,166

$83.6 COP 264.9K

24.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 UYU 2,305

$49.32 COP 156.4K

16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 UYU 5,010

$153 COP 485.3K

-18.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 UYU 5,315

$106 COP 334.7K

25.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 UYU 28.6K

$558 COP 1.8M

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 UYU 23.1K

$463 COP 1.5M

24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 UYU 46.7K

$1,079 COP 3.4M

7.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 UYU 41.5K

$951 COP 3.0M

8.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,418 UYU 137.2K

$1,895 COP 6.0M

80.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,760 UYU 70.6K

$1,739 COP 5.5M

1.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 UYU 49.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

-52.17%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Envigado: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$575 32.2%

Envigado

$463 35.6% 19.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$334 18.7%

Envigado

$276 21.3% 17.2% $57

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.1%

Envigado

$151 11.6% 43.9% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$258 14.5%

Envigado

$170 13.1% 34.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$188 10.6%

Envigado

$176 13.6% 6.4% $12

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.7%

Envigado

$16 * 1.2% 80.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$75 4.2%

Envigado

$45 3.5% 39.6% $30

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 $713 in Montevideo and $558 in Envigado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montevideo vs $48.00 in Envigado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $276 per month, with Envigado cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Envigado

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

204,399

💱 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 Envigado 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Envigado

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 Envigado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Envigado wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Envigado the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,676 in Montevideo and $1,946 in Envigado to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $713 in Montevideo versus $558 in Envigado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $629 in Montevideo versus $568 in Envigado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Envigado – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $70.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,298 in Envigado versus $1,784 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Envigado but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Envigado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Envigado delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,298 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Envigado hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Envigado 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 Envigado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.