Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Pereira

For one person, living is cheaper in Pereira: $1,362 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Pereira
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Pereira Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Pereira

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Pereira

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,362 in Pereira, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Pereira $1,362

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,306 in Pereira, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Pereira $2,306

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $3,251 in Pereira, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Pereira $3,251

Montevideo costs about 30% more than Pereira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Pereira sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Pereira by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$7.93 COP 25.1K

91.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$46.60 COP 147.8K

48.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.43 COP 29.9K

55.36%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$2.68 COP 8,483

66.42%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.37 COP 4,348

94.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$0.83 COP 2,631

140.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.12 COP 9,892

54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$3.71 COP 11.8K

2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.28 COP 4,067

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$1.71 COP 5,411

67.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.74 COP 5,517

0.57%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.97 COP 9,406

57.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$3.12 COP 9,882

344.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.41 COP 29.8K

27.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$13.70 COP 43.4K

-12.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.96 COP 12.6K

-29.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.26 COP 3,998

117.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.09 COP 6,624

-15.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.29 COP 4,080

151.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.92 COP 6,075

2.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.22 COP 3,858

69.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.19 COP 3,768

15.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.28 COP 4,067

46.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.77 COP 12.0K

48.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$13.31 COP 42.2K

-34.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.25 COP 3,959

80.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.37 COP 7,519

16.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.08 COP 3,416

41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.31 COP 4,152

45.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.06 COP 6,530

-80.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.47 COP 26.8K

21.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.28 COP 4,067

66.41%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.5K COP 87.3M

-1.51%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$35.6K COP 112.8M

1.93%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$159 COP 503.0K

18.70%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$13.03 COP 41.3K

57.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$28.05 COP 88.9K

59.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$47.10 COP 149.4K

14.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.55 COP 20.8K

82.44%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$779 COP 2.5M

-18.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$9,040 COP 28.7M

22.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$87.0 COP 275.7K

17.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$57.8 COP 183.1K

-0.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$134 COP 424.2K

-5.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$99.0 COP 313.8K

29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$639 COP 2.0M

12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$506 COP 1.6M

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,025 COP 3.2M

11.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$1,382 COP 4.4M

-25.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,319 COP 4.2M

157.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,787 COP 5.7M

9.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$571 COP 1.8M

117.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

10.94

-47.53%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pereira: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Pereira

$506 37.2% 10.9% $62

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Pereira

$254 18.7% 23.3% $77

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Pereira

$156 11.4% 42.2% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Pereira

$200 14.7% 21.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Pereira

$170 12.5% 8.8% $16

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Pereira

$16 * 1.2% 81.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Pereira

$60 4.4% 22.7% $18

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 $639 in Pereira. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 118% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Montevideo versus $47.00 in Pereira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $254 – making Pereira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Pereira

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

467,269

💱 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 Pereira 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Pereira

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 Pereira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 30%, 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 $2,043 in Pereira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pereira, 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 $47.00 in Pereira. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 Pereira, where all-in costs run around $1,362, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Pereira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pereira – 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 Pereira. 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.