Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Iowa City, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,387 a month against $2,239 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,387

/mo nomad

Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Iowa City, 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 Iowa City, IA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,387 per month in Bogota vs $2,239 in Iowa City, IA, rent included.

Bogota $1,387
Iowa City, IA $2,239

A couple spends around $2,151 per month in Bogota vs $3,243 in Iowa City, IA, rent included.

Bogota $2,151
Iowa City, IA $3,243

A family of three spends $2,915 per month in Bogota vs $4,246 in Iowa City, IA, rent included.

Bogota $2,915
Iowa City, IA $4,246

Bogota is about 38% cheaper than Iowa City, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bogota and Iowa City, IA sit above the global median – Bogota by 3%, Iowa City, IA by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.94 COP 25.6K

$14.86 $14.86

-46.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.83 COP 138.3K

$64.9 $64.9

-34.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 COP 34.9K

$9.02 $9.02

19.84%

Cappuccino

$2.47 COP 7,986

$5.72 $5.72

-56.82%

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

$1.34 COP 4,342

$2.78 $2.78

-51.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 2,734

$2.22 $2.22

-61.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 COP 7,725

$5.04 $5.04

-52.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 COP 15.6K

$6.97 $6.97

-30.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 COP 5,265

$0.96 $0.96

69.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 COP 7,508

$2.75 $2.75

-15.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.02 $2.02

-10.40%

Eggs

$3.52 COP 11.4K

$3.68 $3.68

-4.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$9.22 $9.22

-14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 COP 24.6K

$10.48 $10.48

-27.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 COP 34.4K

$20.19 $20.19

-47.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 COP 11.3K

$3.40 $3.40

2.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.15 $1.15

53.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 COP 6,184

$2.66 $2.66

-27.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 COP 6,115

$4.68 $4.68

-59.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,553

$1.98 $1.98

-28.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 COP 4,616

$2.35 $2.35

-39.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 COP 4,074

$1.70 $1.70

-25.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,729

$2.34 $2.34

-50.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 COP 14.3K

$9.65 $9.65

-54.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 COP 39.8K

$13.30 $13.30

-7.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 COP 4,782

$1.75 $1.75

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 COP 10.4K

$4.28 $4.28

-24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,483

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 COP 162.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 COP 6,538

$3.91 $3.91

-48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 COP 8,213

$2.05 $2.05

23.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 COP 24.2K

$43.91 $43.91

-82.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.01 $1.01

26.73%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$27.2K $27.2K

25.15%

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

$34.9K COP 112.5M

$26.2K $26.2K

33.12%

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

$127 COP 411.0K

$271 $271

-52.96%

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

$16.31 COP 52.7K

$46.61 $46.61

-65.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 COP 97.5K

$80.8 $80.8

-62.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.56 COP 108.4K

$29.52 $29.52

13.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.03 COP 48.5K

$20.31 $20.31

-26.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 COP 24.6K

$13.83 $13.83

-44.90%

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

$557 COP 1.8M

$1,287 $1,287

-56.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K COP 42.2M

$14.7K $14.7K

-11.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 COP 274.7K

$63.9 $63.9

33.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.17 COP 155.5K

$47.41 $47.41

1.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 448.6K

$98.3 $98.3

41.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 347.1K

$116 $116

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 COP 2.4M

$1,302 $1,302

-43.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 COP 1.6M

$1,002 $1,002

-49.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,438 COP 4.6M

$1,906 $1,906

-24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$963 COP 3.1M

$1,638 $1,638

-41.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,946 COP 9.5M

$3,489 $3,489

-15.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,250 COP 7.3M

$1,843 $1,843

22.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 COP 2.6M

$3,887 $3,887

-79.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

6.45

98.60%

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

Last update for Bogota: November 3, 2026

Last update for Iowa City, IA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$504 36.4%

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.7% 98.8% $498

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$264 19%

Iowa City, IA

$348 15.5% 31.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$174 12.5%

Iowa City, IA

$398 17.8% 129% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$171 12.3%

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6% 14.2% $24

Eating Out

Bogota

$156 11.3%

Iowa City, IA

$274 12.2% 75.4% $118

Getting Around

Bogota

$69 5%

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6% 79.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$49 3.5%

Iowa City, IA

$57 2.6% 17.2% $8.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $730 in Bogota versus $1,302 in Iowa City, IA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Iowa City, IA are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Bogota versus $65 in Iowa City, IA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $348 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

19:14 7:14 PM

1 h behind Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

74,828

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bogota Iowa City, IA 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
Iowa City, 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 Iowa City, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Iowa City, IA is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Bogota and $3,359 in Iowa City, IA. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $1,302 in Iowa City, IA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Bogota and $65 in Iowa City, IA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Iowa City, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Bogota – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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