Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Barquisimeto

For one person, living is cheaper in Barquisimeto: $796 a month against $1,323 in Bogota, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bogota
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,323
/mo nomad
Barquisimeto
🇻🇪 Venezuela
$796
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Barquisimeto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,323 in Bogota versus $796 in Barquisimeto.

  • Bogota $1,323
  • Barquisimeto $796

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,110 in Bogota versus $1,366 in Barquisimeto.

  • Bogota $2,110
  • Barquisimeto $1,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,897 in Bogota versus $1,936 in Barquisimeto.

  • Bogota $2,897
  • Barquisimeto $1,936

Living in Bogota is roughly 66% more expensive than in Barquisimeto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bogota 2% lower, Barquisimeto 41% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.65 COP 24.3K
$10.20 VES 8,953
-25.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.44 COP 131.4K
$50.7 VES 44.5K
-18.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.38 COP 32.9K
$11.67 VES 10.2K
-11.05%
Cappuccino
$2.53 COP 8,011
$1.74 VES 1,525
45.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 COP 4,277
$1.46 VES 1,282
-7.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 2,752
$1.11 VES 974
-21.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.06 COP 6,542
$1.28 VES 1,128
60.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.98 COP 12.6K
$3.23 VES 2,839
23.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 COP 5,240
$2.14 VES 1,882
-22.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 COP 7,618
$1.36 VES 1,192
76.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.69 COP 5,345
$1.34 VES 1,172
26.12%
Eggs
$3.54 COP 11.2K
$2.22 VES 1,950
59.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.89 COP 25.0K
$6.41 VES 5,630
23.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.30 COP 23.1K
$6.79 VES 5,963
7.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.3K
$7.41 VES 6,503
33.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.58 COP 11.4K
$4.62 VES 4,058
-22.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 COP 5,822
$1.43 VES 1,255
28.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.90 COP 6,012
$0.72 VES 631
163.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.74 COP 5,517
$0.89 VES 782
95.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.41 COP 4,484
$0.96 VES 845
46.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 COP 4,332
$1.30 VES 1,146
5.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 COP 4,131
$0.64 VES 566
103.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 COP 3,643
$1.60 VES 1,402
-28.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 COP 13.7K
$2.52 VES 2,213
71.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.76 COP 40.5K
$10.16 VES 8,918
25.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 COP 4,542
$1.24 VES 1,090
15.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 COP 8,986
$2.28 VES 2,001
24.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.08 COP 3,434
$0.43 VES 376
151.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.8 COP 161.1K
$40.19 VES 35.3K
26.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.38 COP 7,550
$3.33 VES 2,926
-28.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.34 COP 7,411
$1.95 VES 1,710
20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.20 COP 29.2K
$15.10 VES 13.3K
-39.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 COP 4,213
$0.76 VES 670
75.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.5K COP 74.4M
$24.9K VES 21.9M
-5.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.6K COP 113.0M
$30.3K VES 26.6M
17.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 COP 397.8K
$15.23 VES 13.4K
723.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.29 COP 51.6K
$7.76 VES 6,810
109.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.21 COP 95.8K
$36.49 VES 32.0K
-17.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.11 COP 108.2K
$32.73 VES 28.7K
4.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.37 COP 48.7K
$8.51 VES 7,475
80.61%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 COP 24.8K
$4.97 VES 4,368
57.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$501 COP 1.6M
$57.3 VES 50.3K
774.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,450 COP 23.6M
$498 VES 437.4K
1395.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.8 COP 262.6K
$46.83 VES 41.1K
76.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.40 COP 150.3K
$40.42 VES 35.5K
17.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 COP 449.4K
$94.4 VES 82.8K
50.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 COP 337.4K
$80.4 VES 70.5K
32.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$803 COP 2.5M
$215 VES 188.5K
274.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 COP 1.4M
$138 VES 121.3K
226.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,244 COP 3.9M
$476 VES 417.6K
161.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$974 COP 3.1M
$318 VES 278.9K
206.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,816 COP 8.9M
$469 VES 411.3K
501.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,354 COP 7.5M
$250 VES 219.2K
843.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bogota
Barquisimeto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$813 COP 2.6M
$189 VES 166.1K
329.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.81
25
-48.76%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Last update for Barquisimeto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bogota
$452
Barquisimeto
$138 69.4% $314
Groceries & Markets
Bogota
$261
Barquisimeto
$222 14.9% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
$172
Barquisimeto
$59 65.4% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
$170
Barquisimeto
$118 30.8% $52
Eating Out
Bogota
$150
Barquisimeto
$161 7.2% $11
Getting Around
Bogota
$69
Barquisimeto
$55 20.5% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
$50
Barquisimeto
$43 14.3% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $803 in Bogota and $215 in Barquisimeto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bogota pays 329% 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 $51.0 in Barquisimeto. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $222, with Barquisimeto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Bogota
🇻🇪 Barquisimeto
🕒 Local time
22:51 10:51 PM
23:51 11:51 PM
1 h ahead of Bogota
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,181,047 Capital
1,240,714
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VES, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bogota Barquisimeto 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bogota
  • Barquisimeto

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 Barquisimeto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bogota and in Barquisimeto?
Bogota and Barquisimeto differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($1,323 vs $796 including rent). Barquisimeto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Bogota or Barquisimeto?
Average pay runs 329% higher in Bogota, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Bogota and in Barquisimeto?
Rent for a central apartment: $803 in Bogota versus $215 in Barquisimeto. 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 Barquisimeto – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $41.00 in Bogota. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bogota or Barquisimeto?
All in, you'll spend $1,323 per month in Bogota versus $796 in Barquisimeto – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $796 in Barquisimeto versus $1,323 in Bogota, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barquisimeto but tight or insufficient in Bogota. The gap between the two cities makes Barquisimeto the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bogota and Barquisimeto?
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.
Where should expats move: Bogota or Barquisimeto?
Expats usually find Barquisimeto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Bogota. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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