Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,387 a month against $2,152 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,387

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Ames, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,387 in Bogota versus $2,152 in Ames, IA.

Bogota $1,387
Ames, IA $2,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,151 in Bogota versus $3,214 in Ames, IA.

Bogota $2,151
Ames, IA $3,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,915 in Bogota versus $4,277 in Ames, IA.

Bogota $2,915
Ames, IA $4,277

Living in Bogota costs roughly 36% less than in Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bogota 3% above, Ames, IA 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.94 COP 25.7K

$17.69 $17.69

-55.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.83 COP 138.4K

$52.7 $52.7

-18.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 COP 34.9K

$11.91 $11.91

-9.24%

Cappuccino

$2.47 COP 7,988

$4.86 $4.86

-49.18%

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

$1.34 COP 4,343

$2.62 $2.62

-48.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 2,734

$2.30 $2.30

-63.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 COP 7,727

$4.05 $4.05

-40.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 COP 15.6K

$7.13 $7.13

-32.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 COP 5,267

$0.90 $0.90

81.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 COP 7,510

$3.61 $3.61

-35.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,838

$3.26 $3.26

-44.48%

Eggs

$3.52 COP 11.4K

$3.46 $3.46

1.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$10.37 $10.37

-24.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 COP 24.6K

$13.64 $13.64

-44.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 COP 34.4K

$18.55 $18.55

-42.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.3K

$5.82 $5.82

-40.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 COP 5,691

$1.86 $1.86

-5.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 COP 6,186

$6.48 $6.48

-70.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 COP 6,117

$5.15 $5.15

-63.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$4.29 $4.29

-67.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,617

$4.07 $4.07

-64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 COP 4,075

$2.33 $2.33

-45.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,730

$2.54 $2.54

-54.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 COP 14.3K

$9.72 $9.72

-54.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 COP 39.8K

$15.93 $15.93

-22.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 COP 4,784

$2.90 $2.90

-48.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 COP 10.4K

$5.09 $5.09

-36.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,484

$0.97 $0.97

11.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 COP 162.1K

$34.51 $34.51

45.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 COP 6,539

$5.02 $5.02

-59.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 COP 8,215

$1.73 $1.73

46.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 COP 24.2K

$23.68 $23.68

-68.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$0.90 $0.90

42.22%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$25.5K $25.5K

33.42%

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

$34.9K COP 112.6M

$26.4K $26.4K

31.80%

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

$127 COP 411.1K

$183 $183

-30.37%

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

$16.31 COP 52.7K

$56.2 $56.2

-70.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 COP 97.6K

$69.4 $69.4

-56.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.56 COP 108.4K

$67.9 $67.9

-50.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.03 COP 48.5K

$19.84 $19.84

-24.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 COP 24.6K

$14.93 $14.93

-48.96%

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

$557 COP 1.8M

$1,337 $1,337

-58.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K COP 42.2M

$10.2K $10.2K

27.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 COP 274.7K

$55.8 $55.8

52.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.17 COP 155.6K

$44.45 $44.45

8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 448.7K

$88.8 $88.8

56.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 347.2K

$108 $108

-0.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 COP 2.4M

$1,065 $1,065

-31.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 COP 1.6M

$834 $834

-39.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,438 COP 4.6M

$1,787 $1,787

-19.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$963 COP 3.1M

$1,445 $1,445

-33.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,946 COP 9.5M

$2,605 $2,605

13.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,250 COP 7.3M

$2,115 $2,115

6.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 COP 2.6M

$3,549 $3,549

-77.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

6.41

99.84%

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

Last update for Bogota: November 3, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$504 36.4%

Ames, IA

$834 38.8% 65.5% $330

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$264 19%

Ames, IA

$436 20.3% 65.2% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$174 12.5%

Ames, IA

$308 14.3% 77.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$171 12.3%

Ames, IA

$134 6.2% 21.7% $37

Eating Out

Bogota

$156 11.3%

Ames, IA

$290 13.5% 85.8% $134

Getting Around

Bogota

$69 5%

Ames, IA

$52 2.4% 24.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$49 3.5%

Ames, IA

$98 4.5% 100% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $730 in Bogota and $1,065 in Ames, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Bogota vs $53 in Ames, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $436 per month, with Bogota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h behind Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

66,427

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bogota Ames, IA 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
Ames, IA

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

Bogota vs Ames, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bogota wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bogota the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Bogota. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $730 in Bogota versus $1,065 in Ames, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ames, IA runs roughly 31% less than in Bogota. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $557 in Bogota versus $1,337 in Ames, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Bogota wins on affordability, Ames, IA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.