Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasto and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasto: $799 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pasto
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Pasto Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$799

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pasto and in Montevideo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pasto and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $799 per month in Pasto vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Pasto $799
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,210 per month in Pasto vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Pasto $1,210
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $1,622 per month in Pasto vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Pasto $1,622
Montevideo $3,708

Pasto is about 55% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pasto sits 41% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$15.16 UYU 609

-73.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.79 COP 75.4K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-65.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 COP 23.7K

$14.65 UYU 588

-49.08%

Cappuccino

$1.56 COP 4,934

$4.46 UYU 179

-65.02%

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

$0.86 COP 2,724

$2.67 UYU 107

-67.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 COP 1,943

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-69.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 COP 3,666

$4.83 UYU 194

-75.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 COP 6,968

$3.80 UYU 152

-42.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 COP 3,464

$1.36 UYU 54.8

-19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 COP 4,088

$2.87 UYU 115

-55.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,744

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-32.57%

Eggs

$2.14 COP 6,771

$4.68 UYU 188

-54.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.61 COP 14.6K

$13.88 UYU 557

-66.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 COP 16.7K

$11.98 UYU 481

-56.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 COP 23.1K

$11.97 UYU 480

-39.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 COP 7,748

$2.78 UYU 111

-12.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 COP 3,302

$2.74 UYU 110

-62.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,108

$1.77 UYU 71.2

-26.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,379

$3.24 UYU 130

-66.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 COP 3,648

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-41.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 COP 3,586

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-45.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 COP 2,537

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-41.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,041

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-65.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 COP 7,509

$5.59 UYU 224

-57.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 COP 31.1K

$8.78 UYU 352

11.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 COP 3,443

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-51.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 COP 5,599

$2.75 UYU 110

-35.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 COP 2,271

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.39 COP 96.4K

$74.3 UYU 2,980

-59.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 COP 4,532

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-25.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 COP 5,688

$0.40 UYU 16.18

347.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 COP 18.9K

$10.33 UYU 415

-42.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 COP 2,958

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-56.34%

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

$18.1K COP 57.2M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-33.40%

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

$25.7K COP 81.6M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-29.00%

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

$83.4 COP 264.4K

$188 UYU 7,557

-55.71%

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

$8.89 COP 28.2K

$20.54 UYU 824

-56.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.38 COP 71.0K

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-50.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.02 COP 73.0K

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-57.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 COP 12.3K

$11.95 UYU 480

-67.45%

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

$235 COP 744.6K

$634 UYU 25.5K

-62.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,071 COP 19.2M

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-45.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 COP 185.6K

$102 UYU 4,099

-42.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.60 COP 103.4K

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-43.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 COP 261.4K

$127 UYU 5,079

-34.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 COP 227.6K

$128 UYU 5,131

-43.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 COP 851.9K

$719 UYU 28.8K

-62.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 COP 751.4K

$568 UYU 22.8K

-58.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 COP 1.7M

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 COP 1.3M

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-59.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,429 COP 4.5M

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-57.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 COP 3.4M

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-45.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.06

5.74

127.53%

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

Last update for Pasto: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasto

$237 29.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 140% $331

Groceries & Markets

Pasto

$173 21.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 91.4% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasto

$115 14.4%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 121% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Pasto

$110 13.8%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 68.8% $76

Eating Out

Pasto

$89 11.1%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 203% $180

Getting Around

Pasto

$44 5.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 93.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Pasto

$31 3.9%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 153% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in Pasto versus $719 in Montevideo. 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 $24.00 in Pasto versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $332 – making Pasto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Pasto

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

00:16 12:16 AM

2 h ahead of Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pasto Montevideo 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasto
Montevideo

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

Pasto vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,198 per month in Pasto and $2,656 in Montevideo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $235 per month in Pasto and $634 in Montevideo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasto, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Pasto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pasto – 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 Pasto. 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.