Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Arlington, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,323 a month against $3,568 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
174

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Arlington, VA

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

A single person spends $1,323 per month in Bogota vs $3,568 in Arlington, VA, rent included.

Bogota $1,323
Arlington, VA $3,568

A couple spends around $2,110 per month in Bogota vs $5,411 in Arlington, VA, rent included.

Bogota $2,110
Arlington, VA $5,411

A family of three spends $2,897 per month in Bogota vs $7,255 in Arlington, VA, rent included.

Bogota $2,897
Arlington, VA $7,255

Bogota is about 63% cheaper than Arlington, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bogota sits 2% below the global median, while Arlington, VA is 164% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 COP 24.3K

$23.97 $23.97

-68.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 COP 131.4K

$99.0 $99.0

-58.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 COP 32.9K

$10.85 $10.85

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$2.53 COP 8,011

$5.97 $5.97

-57.62%

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

$1.35 COP 4,277

$3.09 $3.09

-56.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 2,752

$2.42 $2.42

-64.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 COP 6,542

$7.97 $7.97

-74.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$8.93 $8.93

-55.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,240

$1.25 $1.25

32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,618

$4.35 $4.35

-44.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,345

$5.46 $5.46

-69.05%

Eggs

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$5.24 $5.24

-32.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 COP 25.0K

$21.58 $21.58

-63.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 COP 23.1K

$15.93 $15.93

-54.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$23.20 $23.20

-57.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$5.70 $5.70

-37.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 COP 5,822

$1.83 $1.83

0.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,012

$4.62 $4.62

-58.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,517

$5.87 $5.87

-70.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,484

$3.21 $3.21

-56.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,332

$3.77 $3.77

-63.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,131

$2.33 $2.33

-44.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,643

$2.47 $2.47

-53.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 COP 13.7K

$10.36 $10.36

-58.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 COP 40.5K

$16.94 $16.94

-24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 COP 4,542

$2.89 $2.89

-50.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 8,986

$2.90 $2.90

-2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,434

$2.79 $2.79

-61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 COP 161.1K

$122 $122

-58.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 COP 7,550

$4.08 $4.08

-41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 COP 7,411

$1.23 $1.23

90.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$25.15 $25.15

-63.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,213

$1.01 $1.01

31.68%

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

$23.5K COP 74.4M

$34.3K $34.3K

-31.56%

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

$35.6K COP 113.0M

$25.3K $25.3K

41.14%

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

$125 COP 397.8K

$165 $165

-24.02%

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

$16.29 COP 51.6K

$50.7 $50.7

-67.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 COP 95.8K

$60.8 $60.8

-50.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 COP 108.2K

$70.2 $70.2

-51.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

$18.96 $18.96

-18.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 24.8K

$16.37 $16.37

-52.11%

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

$501 COP 1.6M

$1,612 $1,612

-68.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,450 COP 23.6M

$35.9K $35.9K

-79.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.8 COP 262.6K

$55.1 $55.1

50.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.40 COP 150.3K

$62.6 $62.6

-24.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 449.4K

$103 $103

37.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 COP 337.4K

$161 $161

-34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 COP 2.5M

$2,488 $2,488

-67.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 COP 1.4M

$1,987 $1,987

-77.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 COP 3.9M

$4,810 $4,810

-74.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 COP 3.1M

$3,596 $3,596

-72.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 COP 8.9M

$6,380 $6,380

-55.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,354 COP 7.5M

$4,983 $4,983

-52.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$813 COP 2.6M

$6,625 $6,625

-87.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

6.79

88.66%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$452 34.1%

Arlington, VA

$2K 55.7% 340% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$261 19.7%

Arlington, VA

$510 14.3% 95.7% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$172 13%

Arlington, VA

$277 7.8% 60.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$170 12.9%

Arlington, VA

$172 4.8% 1% $1.8

Eating Out

Bogota

$150 11.3%

Arlington, VA

$376 10.5% 151% $226

Getting Around

Bogota

$69 5.2%

Arlington, VA

$143 4% 107% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$50 3.8%

Arlington, VA

$103 2.9% 107% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $803 in Bogota versus $2,488 in Arlington, VA. 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 715% higher in Arlington, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bogota versus $99.0 in Arlington, VA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $510 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h ahead of Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

365,438

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bogota Arlington, VA 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
Arlington, VA

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 Arlington, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 170% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,985 per month in Bogota and $5,352 in Arlington, VA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 96% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bogota and $99.0 in Arlington, VA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,323, than in Arlington, VA at $3,568. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bogota costs $1,323 versus $3,568 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.