Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Barbados

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,310 a month against $1,862 in Barbados, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bogota
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,310
/mo nomad
Barbados
🇧🇧 Barbados
$1,862
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Barbados

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in Bogota versus $1,862 in Barbados.

  • Bogota $1,310
  • Barbados $1,862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,073 in Bogota versus $4,060 in Barbados.

  • Bogota $2,073
  • Barbados $4,060

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,836 in Bogota versus $6,257 in Barbados.

  • Bogota $2,836
  • Barbados $6,257

Living in Bogota costs roughly 30% less than in Barbados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bogota is 2% below, Barbados is 39% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.62 COP 24.3K
$25.31 BBD 50.6
-69.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.93 COP 130.4K
$113 BBD 227
-63.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 COP 31.7K
$12.63 BBD 25.26
-21.14%
Cappuccino
$2.46 COP 7,851
$4.53 BBD 9.07
-45.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 COP 4,348
$2.13 BBD 4.26
-36.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 COP 2,603
$1.70 BBD 3.40
-51.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 COP 6,405
$3.04 BBD 6.07
-33.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.85 COP 12.3K
$3.88 BBD 7.77
-0.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 COP 5,160
$3.65 BBD 7.29
-55.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 COP 7,828
$2.70 BBD 5.39
-8.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 COP 5,256
$4.08 BBD 8.16
-59.56%
Eggs
$3.45 COP 11.0K
$6.07 BBD 12.14
-43.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.69 COP 24.5K
$6.65 BBD 13.29
15.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.02 COP 22.4K
$10.15 BBD 20.30
-30.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.72 COP 31.0K
$11.16 BBD 22.32
-12.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.47 COP 11.1K
$4.98 BBD 9.97
-30.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 COP 5,673
$4.34 BBD 8.68
-58.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,240
$5.52 BBD 11.05
-64.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.75 COP 5,579
$5.75 BBD 11.51
-69.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 COP 4,460
$6.70 BBD 13.40
-79.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 COP 4,433
$4.93 BBD 9.86
-71.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 COP 4,188
$2.78 BBD 5.55
-52.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 COP 3,685
$2.62 BBD 5.24
-55.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 COP 13.2K
$6.80 BBD 13.61
-38.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.24 COP 39.0K
$16.18 BBD 32.37
-24.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,528
$1.77 BBD 3.54
-19.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 COP 9,022
$3.01 BBD 6.02
-5.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 COP 3,391
$1.72 BBD 3.43
-38.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.65 COP 155.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.28 COP 7,259
$5.10 BBD 10.20
-55.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.31 COP 7,377
$3.46 BBD 6.92
-33.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.26 COP 29.5K
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 COP 4,000
$2.09 BBD 4.18
-39.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K COP 74.5M
$50.8K BBD 101.6K
-53.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.3K COP 112.5M
$40.2K BBD 80.3K
-12.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 COP 385.4K
$99.5 BBD 199
21.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.63 COP 49.8K
$48.94 BBD 97.9
-68.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.00 COP 92.4K
$87.3 BBD 175
-66.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.55 COP 103.7K
$76.1 BBD 152
-57.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.14 COP 48.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.55 COP 24.0K
$8.64 BBD 17.28
-12.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$465 COP 1.5M
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,119 COP 25.9M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.5 COP 262.8K
$46.50 BBD 93.0
77.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.69 COP 148.8K
$20.34 BBD 40.67
129.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 COP 452.7K
$60.2 BBD 120
136.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 COP 331.7K
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$781 COP 2.5M
$664 BBD 1,327
17.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$440 COP 1.4M
$680 BBD 1,359
-35.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 COP 4.0M
$1,822 BBD 3,644
-30.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$974 COP 3.1M
$3,402 BBD 6,804
-71.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,755 COP 8.8M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,239 COP 7.1M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bogota
Barbados
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$795 COP 2.5M
$1,308 BBD 2,616
-39.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.81
11
16.45%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Last update for Barbados: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bogota
$440
Barbados
$680 54.4% $240
Groceries & Markets
Bogota
$256
Barbados
$430 67.6% $173
Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
$169
Barbados
$57 * 66.2% $112
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
$166
Barbados
$236 42.4% $70
Eating Out
Bogota
$147
Barbados
$333 127% $186
Getting Around
Bogota
$67
Barbados
$29 * 56.1% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
$48
Barbados
$93 96.1% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $781 in Bogota and $664 in Barbados. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barbados pays 65% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $41.00 in Bogota vs $113 in Barbados for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $430 per month, with Bogota cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Bogota
🇧🇧 Barbados
🕒 Local time
07:25 7:25 AM
08:25 8:25 AM
1 h ahead of Bogota
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,181,047 Capital
623
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BBD (1 BBD = 0.446 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bogota Barbados 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bogota
  • Barbados

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 Barbados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bogota and in Barbados?
Bogota and Barbados differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,310 vs $1,862 including rent). Bogota is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Barbados. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Bogota and in Barbados?
Rent for a central apartment: $781 in Bogota versus $664 in Barbados. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Bogota – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $113 in Barbados. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bogota or Barbados?
All in, you'll spend $1,310 per month in Bogota versus $1,862 in Barbados – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,310 in Bogota versus $1,862 in Barbados, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bogota but tight or insufficient in Barbados. The gap between the two cities makes Bogota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bogota and Barbados?
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.
Is Bogota or Barbados safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Bogota and Barbados are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Bogota or Barbados?
Expats usually find Bogota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Barbados. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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