Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Neiva

For one person, living is cheaper in Neiva: $1,241 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
Learn more

Montevideo Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Neiva
Learn more

Neiva Living Index

Jump to prices

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Neiva

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Neiva

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,241 in Neiva, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Neiva $1,241

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,034 in Neiva, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Neiva $2,034

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,826 in Neiva, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Neiva $2,826

Montevideo costs about 43% more than Neiva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montevideo sits 31% above the global median, while Neiva is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 610

$7.72 COP 24.5K

96.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,780

$41.66 COP 132.5K

65.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 589

$10.26 COP 32.6K

42.79%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.61 COP 8,307

70.88%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.34 COP 4,258

99.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.5

$0.91 COP 2,892

119.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.06 COP 6,553

134.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 153

$3.96 COP 12.6K

-4.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.9

$1.62 COP 5,147

-16.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.45 COP 7,778

17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.3

$1.62 COP 5,152

8.02%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$3.54 COP 11.3K

32.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 558

$8.18 COP 26.0K

69.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 482

$7.51 COP 23.9K

59.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 481

$9.91 COP 31.5K

20.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 112

$3.41 COP 10.8K

-18.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.85 COP 5,895

48.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.3

$1.94 COP 6,167

-8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.77 COP 5,633

83.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.3

$1.42 COP 4,529

38.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.2

$1.42 COP 4,519

45.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.2

$1.33 COP 4,244

3.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.4

$1.19 COP 3,770

57.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 225

$4.30 COP 13.7K

30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 353

$12.60 COP 40.1K

-30.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 91.0

$1.44 COP 4,589

56.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 111

$2.88 COP 9,155

-4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.6

$1.05 COP 3,335

45.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,985

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.39 COP 7,606

-20.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.21

$2.30 COP 7,320

-82.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$9.66 COP 30.7K

6.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.7

$1.35 COP 4,288

57.78%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$23.2K COP 73.9M

16.69%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$34.8K COP 110.6M

4.29%

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

$188 UYU 7,570

$125 COP 398.6K

50.24%

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

$20.54 UYU 826

$16.32 COP 51.9K

25.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,801

$29.80 COP 94.8K

50.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,169

$38.69 COP 123.0K

39.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 794

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 481

$7.72 COP 24.6K

54.79%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$504 COP 1.6M

25.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 444.3K

$7,398 COP 23.5M

49.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,106

$82.5 COP 262.5K

23.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,313

$48.05 COP 152.8K

19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,088

$144 COP 457.6K

-12.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,139

$105 COP 335.0K

21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.9K

$559 COP 1.8M

28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$413 COP 1.3M

37.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,112 COP 3.5M

2.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,002 COP 3.2M

2.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.4K

$1,854 COP 5.9M

83.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.4K

$1,770 COP 5.6M

10.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Neiva: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Neiva

$413 33.3% 27.3% $155

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Neiva

$263 21.2% 20.8% $69

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Neiva

$151 12.2% 43.9% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Neiva

$171 13.8% 32.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Neiva

$171 13.8% 8.3% $15

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Neiva

$18 * 1.5% 78.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Neiva

$54 4.4% 30.5% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Montevideo versus $559 in Neiva. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $42.00 in Neiva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $263 – making Neiva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Neiva

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

357,392

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montevideo Neiva 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Neiva

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 Neiva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,656 per month in Montevideo and $1,862 in Neiva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Neiva, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo and $42.00 in Neiva. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Montevideo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Neiva, where all-in costs run around $1,241, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Neiva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Neiva – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Neiva. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montevideo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.