Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Monteria

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,227 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Monteria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Montevideo versus $1,227 in Monteria.

Montevideo $1,771
Monteria $1,227

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,740 in Montevideo versus $1,997 in Monteria.

Montevideo $2,740
Monteria $1,997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,708 in Montevideo versus $2,767 in Monteria.

Montevideo $3,708
Monteria $2,767

Living in Montevideo is roughly 44% more expensive than in Monteria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montevideo is 31% above, Monteria is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$5.73 COP 18.2K

164.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$41.91 COP 133.3K

65.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$10.31 COP 32.8K

42.10%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.57 COP 8,178

73.54%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$2.57 COP 8,188

3.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$2.27 COP 7,209

-11.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.29 COP 10.5K

46.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$5.16 COP 16.4K

-26.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.90 COP 6,052

-28.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.78 COP 8,857

3.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.43 COP 4,537

22.38%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$4.83 COP 15.4K

-3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$7.98 COP 25.4K

73.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$9.46 COP 30.1K

26.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$13.49 COP 42.9K

-11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.16 COP 10.1K

-12.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.24 COP 3,951

120.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$2.07 COP 6,580

-14.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.81 COP 5,751

79.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$1.68 COP 5,332

17.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$1.58 COP 5,020

31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$1.22 COP 3,887

12.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.16 COP 3,698

62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.07 COP 12.9K

37.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$14.66 COP 46.6K

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$1.46 COP 4,630

54.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.34 COP 7,443

17.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$1.19 COP 3,777

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$1.57 COP 5,006

21.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-89.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.57 COP 30.4K

7.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.30 COP 4,132

63.85%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$23.5K COP 74.8M

15.23%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.4K COP 109.3M

5.50%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$78.0 COP 248.1K

141.41%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$14.49 COP 46.1K

41.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$25.19 COP 80.1K

77.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$43.38 COP 138.0K

24.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$8.24 COP 26.2K

45.02%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$618 COP 2.0M

2.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$5,835 COP 18.6M

89.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$75.5 COP 240.1K

35.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$55.4 COP 176.2K

3.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$132 COP 420.5K

-4.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$109 COP 345.9K

17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$736 COP 2.3M

-2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$411 COP 1.3M

38.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,022 COP 3.3M

12.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$913 COP 2.9M

12.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$2,174 COP 6.9M

56.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$1,691 COP 5.4M

15.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

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 Monteria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Monteria

$411 33.5% 27.6% $157

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Monteria

$293 23.8% 11.8% $39

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Monteria

$154 12.5% 42.9% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Monteria

$118 9.6% 53.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Monteria

$167 13.6% 10.2% $19

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Monteria

$25 * 2% 70.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Monteria

$60 4.9% 23.1% $18

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 $736 in Monteria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Montevideo vs $42.00 in Monteria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $293 per month, with Monteria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Monteria

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

454,032

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 40.2 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.02 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montevideo Monteria 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Monteria

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 Monteria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monteria wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Montevideo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monteria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,656 in Montevideo and $1,840 in Monteria 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 $736 in Monteria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $634 in Montevideo versus $618 in Monteria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monteria – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,227 in Monteria versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monteria but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. The gap between the two cities makes Monteria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monteria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,227 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monteria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montevideo and Monteria 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 Monteria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.