Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Leticia

For one person, living is cheaper in Leticia: $1,376 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Leticia
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Leticia Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Leticia

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Leticia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,376 in Leticia.

Montevideo $1,771
Leticia $1,376

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $2,110 in Leticia.

Montevideo $2,740
Leticia $2,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,844 in Leticia.

Montevideo $3,708
Leticia $2,844

Living in Montevideo is roughly 29% more expensive than in Leticia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montevideo 31% above, Leticia 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$8.46 COP 26.8K

79.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$37.96 COP 120.3K

82.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.20 COP 29.2K

59.24%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.22 COP 7,037

100.90%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.53 COP 4,864

74.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.86 COP 2,712

132.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.59 COP 11.4K

34.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.21 COP 10.2K

18.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.60 COP 5,072

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.56 COP 8,103

12.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.80 COP 5,720

-2.78%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.06 COP 9,695

52.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$9.01 COP 28.6K

54.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$10.77 COP 34.2K

11.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.71 COP 37.1K

2.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.28 COP 10.4K

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.37 COP 4,334

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.88 COP 5,961

-5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.78 COP 5,657

82.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.35 COP 4,291

45.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.51 COP 4,775

37.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.13 COP 3,576

21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.08 COP 3,430

74.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.51 COP 11.1K

59.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$13.54 COP 42.9K

-35.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.30 COP 4,117

73.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.41 COP 7,641

14.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.98 COP 3,092

56.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.52 COP 4,814

25.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$1.86 COP 5,891

-78.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.41 COP 26.7K

22.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.36 COP 4,318

56.62%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$23.9K COP 75.7M

13.56%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$37.6K COP 119.2M

-3.55%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$112 COP 354.1K

68.59%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$14.80 COP 46.9K

38.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$31.90 COP 101.1K

40.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$39.84 COP 126.3K

35.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.73 COP 18.2K

108.55%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$579 COP 1.8M

9.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$7,257 COP 23.0M

52.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$87.0 COP 276.0K

17.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$62.2 COP 197.2K

-7.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$143 COP 454.3K

-11.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$115 COP 364.6K

11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$619 COP 2.0M

16.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$531 COP 1.7M

6.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$908 COP 2.9M

26.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$986 COP 3.1M

3.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$2,225 COP 7.1M

52.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,737 COP 5.5M

12.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Leticia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Leticia

$531 38.6% 6.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Leticia

$281 20.4% 15.2% $51

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Leticia

$156 11.3% 42.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Leticia

$158 11.5% 37.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Leticia

$183 13.3% 1.6% $3

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Leticia

$15 * 1.1% 82.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Leticia

$51 3.7% 34.1% $27

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 $719 in Montevideo and $619 in Leticia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $38.00 in Leticia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $281 per month, with Leticia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Leticia

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

22:37 10:37 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

66,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Leticia 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Leticia

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 Leticia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leticia wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Leticia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $2,064 in Leticia 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: $719 in Montevideo versus $619 in Leticia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Montevideo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Montevideo versus $1,376 in Leticia – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,376 in Leticia versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Leticia but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Leticia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Leticia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,376 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Leticia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Leticia 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 Leticia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.