Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Cartago

For one person, living costs are similar in Bogota and in Cartago: $1,323 and $1,281 a month, rent and utilities included.

64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Cartago

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

A single person spends $1,323 per month in Bogota vs $1,281 in Cartago, rent included.

Bogota $1,323
Cartago $1,281

A couple spends around $2,110 per month in Bogota vs $1,972 in Cartago, rent included.

Bogota $2,110
Cartago $1,972

A family of three spends $2,897 per month in Bogota vs $2,663 in Cartago, rent included.

Bogota $2,897
Cartago $2,663

Bogota costs about 3% more than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bogota and Cartago are more affordable than the global median – Bogota 2% lower, Cartago 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 COP 24.3K

$7.58 COP 24.0K

0.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 COP 131.4K

$37.20 COP 118.0K

11.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 COP 32.9K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

22.55%

Cappuccino

$2.53 COP 8,011

$1.54 COP 4,868

64.29%

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

$1.35 COP 4,277

$1.28 COP 4,050

5.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 2,752

$0.83 COP 2,626

4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 COP 6,542

$3.10 COP 9,838

-33.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$3.66 COP 11.6K

8.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,240

$1.60 COP 5,072

3.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,618

$1.88 COP 5,954

27.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,345

$1.49 COP 4,737

13.42%

Eggs

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$2.93 COP 9,305

20.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 COP 25.0K

$6.58 COP 20.9K

19.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 COP 23.1K

$7.11 COP 22.5K

2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$9.93 COP 31.5K

-0.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$3.57 COP 11.3K

0.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 COP 5,822

$1.32 COP 4,187

39.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,012

$1.74 COP 5,513

9.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,517

$1.63 COP 5,168

6.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,484

$1.42 COP 4,508

-0.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,332

$1.50 COP 4,743

-8.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,131

$1.08 COP 3,432

20.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,643

$1.03 COP 3,250

11.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 COP 13.7K

$3.69 COP 11.7K

17.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 COP 40.5K

$13.12 COP 41.6K

-2.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 COP 4,542

$1.50 COP 4,741

-4.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 8,986

$2.45 COP 7,770

15.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,434

$1.02 COP 3,234

5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 COP 161.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 COP 7,550

$0.79 COP 2,516

201.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 COP 7,411

$2.27 COP 7,207

3.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$8.40 COP 26.6K

9.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,213

$1.32 COP 4,198

0.76%

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

$23.5K COP 74.4M

$28.0K COP 88.9M

-16.24%

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

$35.6K COP 113.0M

$34.6K COP 109.9M

2.88%

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

$125 COP 397.8K

$110 COP 348.3K

14.21%

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

$16.29 COP 51.6K

$13.23 COP 42.0K

23.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 COP 95.8K

$30.26 COP 95.9K

-0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 COP 108.2K

$42.32 COP 134.2K

-19.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 24.8K

$8.24 COP 26.1K

-4.85%

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

$501 COP 1.6M

$701 COP 2.2M

-28.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,450 COP 23.6M

$6,430 COP 20.4M

15.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.8 COP 262.6K

$77.8 COP 246.6K

6.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.40 COP 150.3K

$55.1 COP 174.8K

-14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 449.4K

$127 COP 401.8K

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 COP 337.4K

$111 COP 350.6K

-3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 COP 2.5M

$645 COP 2.0M

24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 COP 1.4M

$509 COP 1.6M

-11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 COP 3.9M

$1,041 COP 3.3M

19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 COP 3.1M

$970 COP 3.1M

0.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 COP 8.9M

$1,999 COP 6.3M

40.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,354 COP 7.5M

$1,803 COP 5.7M

30.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$813 COP 2.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

11.58

10.62%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$452 34.1%

Cartago

$509 39.7% 12.7% $57

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$261 19.7%

Cartago

$241 18.8% 7.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$172 13%

Cartago

$153 12% 10.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$170 12.9%

Cartago

$167 13% 2.2% $3.7

Eating Out

Bogota

$150 11.3%

Cartago

$136 10.6% 9.4% $14

Getting Around

Bogota

$69 5.2%

Cartago

$16 * 1.3% 76.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$50 3.8%

Cartago

$59 4.6% 18.1% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $803 in Bogota versus $645 in Cartago. 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 $41.00 in Bogota versus $37.00 in Cartago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $241 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇨🇴 Cartago

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

Same time as Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

135,365

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bogota is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,985 per month in Bogota and $1,921 in Cartago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartago, 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 $41.00 in Bogota and $37.00 in Cartago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Bogota, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Bogota at $1,323. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bogota it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartago – 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 Cartago. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bogota makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.