Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tunja and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunja: $1,294 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Tunja
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Tunja Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Tunja

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,294

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tunja 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 Tunja and in Montevideo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Tunja vs $1,771 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tunja $1,294
Montevideo $1,771

A couple spends around $1,992 per month in Tunja vs $2,740 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tunja $1,992
Montevideo $2,740

A family of three spends $2,689 per month in Tunja vs $3,708 in Montevideo, rent included.

Tunja $2,689
Montevideo $3,708

Tunja is about 27% cheaper than Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tunja sits 4% below the global median, while Montevideo is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 COP 24.1K

$15.16 UYU 609

-49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.83 COP 132.6K

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-39.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 COP 33.4K

$14.65 UYU 588

-28.12%

Cappuccino

$2.56 COP 8,122

$4.46 UYU 179

-42.60%

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

$1.38 COP 4,380

$2.67 UYU 107

-48.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 2,661

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-58.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 COP 6,614

$4.83 UYU 194

-56.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 COP 12.1K

$3.80 UYU 152

0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,075

$1.36 UYU 54.8

17.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 COP 7,874

$2.87 UYU 115

-13.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,169

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-6.86%

Eggs

$3.35 COP 10.6K

$4.68 UYU 188

-28.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.90 COP 25.0K

$13.88 UYU 557

-43.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 COP 23.9K

$11.98 UYU 481

-37.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 COP 31.5K

$11.97 UYU 480

-16.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 COP 11.0K

$2.78 UYU 111

25.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 COP 5,590

$2.74 UYU 110

-35.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,028

$1.77 UYU 71.2

7.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,527

$3.24 UYU 130

-46.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,673

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-25.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,471

$2.07 UYU 83.1

-31.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 COP 4,152

$1.37 UYU 55.1

-4.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,654

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-38.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 COP 13.8K

$5.59 UYU 224

-22.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 COP 40.3K

$8.78 UYU 352

44.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,559

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-36.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 COP 9,295

$2.75 UYU 110

6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 COP 2,541

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-47.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 COP 3,042

$1.91 UYU 76.7

-49.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.32 COP 7,352

$0.40 UYU 16.18

480.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.59 COP 30.4K

$10.33 UYU 415

-7.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,067

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-39.91%

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

$23.8K COP 75.4M

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-12.33%

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

$35.4K COP 112.4M

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-2.25%

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

$123 COP 391.0K

$188 UYU 7,557

-34.51%

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

$16.02 COP 50.8K

$20.54 UYU 824

-22.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.03 COP 95.2K

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-32.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.92 COP 117.0K

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-31.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.75 UYU 793

Cinema Ticket

$7.75 COP 24.6K

$11.95 UYU 480

-35.15%

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

$499 COP 1.6M

$634 UYU 25.5K

-21.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,621 COP 24.2M

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-31.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 COP 263.8K

$102 UYU 4,099

-18.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 COP 149.5K

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-18.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 COP 458.5K

$127 UYU 5,079

14.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 COP 334.4K

$128 UYU 5,131

-17.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$719 UYU 28.8K

-10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.5M

$568 UYU 22.8K

-16.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 COP 3.2M

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-10.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$882 COP 2.8M

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-13.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,682 COP 5.3M

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-50.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,710 COP 5.4M

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-12.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

5.74

123.17%

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

Last update for Tunja: 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

Tunja

$475 36.7%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 19.6% $93

Groceries & Markets

Tunja

$261 20.2%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 27.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Tunja

$171 13.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 8.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tunja

$169 13.1%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 49.8% $84

Eating Out

Tunja

$150 11.6%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 79.3% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Tunja

$52 4.1%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 48.6% $25

Getting Around

Tunja

$16 * 1.2%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 435% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $642 in Tunja 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 $42.00 in Tunja versus $69.0 in Montevideo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $332 – making Tunja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Tunja

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

2 h ahead of Tunja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,000

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

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Highest

Between locations

Tunja Montevideo 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tunja
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

Tunja vs Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montevideo is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,942 per month in Tunja 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 Tunja, 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 $42.00 in Tunja and $69.0 in Montevideo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 Tunja, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Montevideo at $1,771. In Tunja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montevideo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tunja – 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 Tunja. 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.