Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Ibague

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibague: $1,115 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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 Ibague
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Ibague Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Ibague

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Ibague

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,115 in Ibague.

Montevideo $1,771
Ibague $1,115

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,770 in Ibague.

Montevideo $2,740
Ibague $1,770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,426 in Ibague.

Montevideo $3,708
Ibague $2,426

Living in Montevideo is roughly 59% more expensive than in Ibague, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Ibague is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$7.68 COP 24.3K

97.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$42.39 COP 134.4K

63.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$7.78 COP 24.7K

88.30%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$1.60 COP 5,066

178.75%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.11 COP 3,527

140.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.75 COP 2,387

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$1.42 COP 4,513

240.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.98 COP 12.6K

-4.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.08 COP 3,412

25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.50 COP 7,921

14.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.16 COP 3,664

50.86%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.19 COP 6,957

113.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.03 COP 25.5K

72.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$6.63 COP 21.0K

80.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$9.69 COP 30.7K

23.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.42 COP 10.8K

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.92 COP 2,911

197.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.41 COP 4,484

25.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.80 COP 5,722

80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$0.80 COP 2,532

146.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$0.75 COP 2,363

176.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.80 COP 2,544

71.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.20 COP 3,798

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.34 COP 13.8K

28.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$12.68 COP 40.2K

-30.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.39 COP 4,418

62.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.87 COP 9,109

-4.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.05 COP 3,321

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

$62.5 COP 198.0K

18.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.37 COP 4,340

39.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$0.35 COP 1,118

14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$2.15 COP 6,802

380.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.32 COP 4,185

61.36%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$20.3K COP 64.5M

33.23%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$36.1K COP 114.5M

0.45%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$40.84 COP 129.5K

361.07%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$9.56 COP 30.3K

114.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$13.89 COP 44.0K

222.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$27.47 COP 87.1K

96.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$4.77 COP 15.1K

150.52%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$502 COP 1.6M

26.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$7,436 COP 23.6M

48.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$25.07 COP 79.5K

307.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$48.53 COP 153.9K

18.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$78.6 COP 249.2K

61.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$105 COP 333.4K

21.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$651 COP 2.1M

10.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$469 COP 1.5M

21.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,007 COP 3.2M

13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$888 COP 2.8M

15.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,965 COP 6.2M

72.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,656 COP 5.2M

17.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$616 COP 2.0M

101.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

12.81

-55.19%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ibague: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Ibague

$469 42.1% 17.4% $99

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Ibague

$232 20.8% 29.9% $99

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Ibague

$126 11.4% 53% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Ibague

$64 5.8% 74.7% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Ibague

$116 10.4% 37.8% $71

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Ibague

$70 6.3% 17.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Ibague

$37 3.3% 52.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Montevideo and $651 in Ibague. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montevideo pays 102% 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 $42.00 in Ibague for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $232 per month, with Ibague cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Ibague

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

530,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Ibague 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Ibague

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 Ibague: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibague is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 102% 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 $651 in Ibague. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,115 in Ibague – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ibague runs roughly 19% less than in Montevideo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,115 in Ibague versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ibague but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Ibague the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ibague 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 Ibague 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 Ibague gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.