Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montevideo and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. The total is higher in Montevideo despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index

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Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montevideo and in Santa Marta

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

A single person spends $1,771 per month in Montevideo vs $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Montevideo $1,771
Santa Marta $1,436

A couple spends around $2,740 per month in Montevideo vs $1,691 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Montevideo $2,740
Santa Marta $1,691

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Montevideo vs $1,946 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Montevideo $3,708
Santa Marta $1,946

Montevideo costs about 23% more than Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montevideo and Santa Marta sit above the global median – Montevideo by 31%, Santa Marta by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 UYU 609

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 UYU 2,776

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.65 UYU 588

Cappuccino

$4.46 UYU 179

$3.85 COP 12.2K

15.84%

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

$2.67 UYU 107

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 UYU 80.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 UYU 194

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 UYU 152

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 UYU 54.8

$1.52 COP 4,834

-10.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 UYU 115

$2.15 COP 6,825

33.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 UYU 70.2

$1.18 COP 3,737

48.31%

Eggs

$4.68 UYU 188

$2.55 COP 8,070

83.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 UYU 557

$8.18 COP 25.9K

69.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.98 UYU 481

$9.79 COP 31.0K

22.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 UYU 480

$11.43 COP 36.2K

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 UYU 111

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-32.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 UYU 110

$0.98 COP 3,110

179.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 UYU 71.2

$1.12 COP 3,553

58.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 UYU 130

$1.99 COP 6,308

62.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$0.91 COP 2,881

116.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 UYU 83.1

$1.54 COP 4,888

34.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 UYU 55.1

$0.97 COP 3,081

41.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 UYU 75.3

$0.64 COP 2,037

193.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 UYU 224

$4.10 COP 13.0K

36.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 UYU 352

$17.44 COP 55.3K

-49.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 UYU 90.9

$1.44 COP 4,566

56.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 UYU 110

$1.42 COP 4,507

93.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 UYU 61.5

$0.97 COP 3,086

57.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 UYU 76.7

$3.20 COP 10.2K

-40.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 UYU 16.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.33 UYU 415

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 UYU 85.6

$1.29 COP 4,104

65.12%

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

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

$24.0K COP 75.9M

13.18%

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

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

$33.6K COP 106.6M

7.86%

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

$188 UYU 7,557

$154 COP 489.7K

21.92%

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

$20.54 UYU 824

$9.26 COP 29.3K

121.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.81 UYU 1,798

$22.25 COP 70.6K

101.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 UYU 2,166

$31.58 COP 100.1K

70.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 UYU 480

$5.07 COP 16.1K

135.70%

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

$634 UYU 25.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

$10.8K COP 34.1M

2.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 UYU 4,099

$86.9 COP 275.6K

17.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 UYU 2,309

$63.5 COP 201.4K

-9.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 UYU 5,079

$92.6 COP 293.6K

36.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 UYU 5,131

$88.2 COP 279.6K

44.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 UYU 28.8K

$1,088 COP 3.5M

-33.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 UYU 22.8K

$743 COP 2.4M

-23.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

$1,098 COP 3.5M

4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

$628 COP 2.0M

62.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

$1,098 COP 3.5M

208.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

$1,216 COP 3.9M

60.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

$534 COP 1.7M

132.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

19.54

-70.62%

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

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montevideo

$568 32.1%

Santa Marta

$743 51.8% 30.8% $175

Groceries & Markets

Montevideo

$332 18.7%

Santa Marta

$263 18.3% 20.8% $69

Eating Out

Montevideo

$269 15.2%

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2% 82.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montevideo

$254 14.3%

Santa Marta

$186 13% 26.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Montevideo

$186 10.5%

Santa Marta

$149 10.4% 20% $37

Getting Around

Montevideo

$84 4.8%

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5% 91.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montevideo

$78 4.4%

Santa Marta

$42 2.9% 46.4% $36

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 $1,088 in Santa Marta. 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 133% higher in Montevideo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

2 h behind Montevideo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,319,108 Capital

500,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Santa Marta 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montevideo
Santa Marta

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 Santa Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 23%, 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 $2,153 in Santa Marta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,771 in Montevideo and $1,436 in Santa Marta. That's a gap of about 23%.

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 Santa Marta, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Santa Marta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Marta – 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 Santa Marta. 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.