Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Rionegro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rionegro: $1,348 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Rionegro
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Rionegro Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Rionegro

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Rionegro

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,348 in Rionegro, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Rionegro $1,348

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $2,161 in Rionegro, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Rionegro $2,161

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $2,974 in Rionegro, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Rionegro $2,974

Montevideo costs about 31% more than Rionegro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Rionegro sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Rionegro by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

$8.32 COP 26.4K

82.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

$46.30 COP 146.8K

49.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

$9.13 COP 29.0K

60.46%

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.11 COP 9,848

43.41%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

$1.84 COP 5,837

45.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

$1.36 COP 4,312

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

$3.04 COP 9,636

58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

$5.52 COP 17.5K

-31.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.49 COP 4,735

-8.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.40 COP 7,620

19.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.74 COP 5,528

0.57%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.90 COP 9,200

61.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$9.93 COP 31.5K

39.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.52 COP 30.2K

25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$14.07 COP 44.6K

-14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$3.88 COP 12.3K

-28.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$1.50 COP 4,757

82.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$2.20 COP 6,965

-19.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$2.22 COP 7,045

45.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.90 COP 6,027

3.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.65 COP 5,221

25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$1.18 COP 3,753

16.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$1.23 COP 3,901

52.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$3.83 COP 12.1K

45.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$13.77 COP 43.7K

-36.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.63 COP 5,181

38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$2.31 COP 7,339

19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$1.00 COP 3,185

53.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$1.32 COP 4,198

44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

$2.12 COP 6,713

-81.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

$8.48 COP 26.9K

21.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.28 COP 4,069

66.41%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$27.8K COP 88.2M

-2.53%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$36.0K COP 114.2M

0.73%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$170 COP 539.4K

10.68%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$13.44 COP 42.6K

52.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$28.48 COP 90.3K

57.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$41.84 COP 132.7K

28.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$6.29 COP 20.0K

89.98%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

$800 COP 2.5M

-20.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$9,001 COP 28.5M

22.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$84.9 COP 269.1K

20.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$57.3 COP 181.7K

0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$135 COP 426.8K

-5.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$97.9 COP 310.4K

30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$593 COP 1.9M

21.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$433 COP 1.4M

31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$965 COP 3.1M

18.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$987 COP 3.1M

3.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$2,161 COP 6.9M

56.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,537 COP 4.9M

26.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

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 Rionegro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Rionegro

$433 32.1% 23.8% $135

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Rionegro

$294 21.8% 11.2% $37

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Rionegro

$170 12.6% 36.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Rionegro

$212 15.7% 16.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Rionegro

$169 12.5% 9.5% $18

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Rionegro

$16 * 1.2% 81.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Rionegro

$54 4% 30.1% $23

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 $593 in Rionegro. 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 $46.00 in Rionegro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $294 – making Rionegro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Rionegro

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

130,000

💱 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 Rionegro 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Rionegro

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 Rionegro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 31%, 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 $2,023 in Rionegro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rionegro, 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 $46.00 in Rionegro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rionegro, where all-in costs run around $1,348, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Rionegro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rionegro – 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 Rionegro. 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.