Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and San Juan del Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan del Sur: $1,058 a month against $1,323 in Bogota, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
Learn more

Bogota Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in San Juan del Sur
Learn more

San Juan del Sur Living Index

Jump to prices

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

San Juan del Sur

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in San Juan del Sur

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 San Juan del Sur actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,323 per month in Bogota vs $1,058 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Bogota $1,323
San Juan del Sur $1,058

A couple spends around $2,110 per month in Bogota vs $1,682 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Bogota $2,110
San Juan del Sur $1,682

A family of three spends $2,897 per month in Bogota vs $2,307 in San Juan del Sur, rent included.

Bogota $2,897
San Juan del Sur $2,307

Bogota costs about 25% more than San Juan del Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bogota and San Juan del Sur are more affordable than the global median – Bogota 2% lower, San Juan del Sur 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 COP 24.3K

$4.17 NIO 153

83.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 COP 131.4K

$34.08 NIO 1,248

21.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 COP 32.9K

$5.57 NIO 204

86.36%

Cappuccino

$2.53 COP 8,011

$2.56 NIO 93.7

-1.17%

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

$1.35 COP 4,277

$0.86 NIO 31.37

56.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 2,752

$0.68 NIO 25.02

27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 COP 6,542

$1.47 NIO 53.8

40.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$2.23 NIO 81.8

78.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,240

$1.24 NIO 45.36

33.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,618

$1.53 NIO 55.9

56.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,345

$1.19 NIO 43.56

42.02%

Eggs

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$2.44 NIO 89.2

45.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 COP 25.0K

$7.71 NIO 283

2.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 COP 23.1K

$6.15 NIO 225

18.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$7.84 NIO 287

25.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$4.10 NIO 150

-12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 COP 5,822

$0.62 NIO 22.71

196.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,012

$1.84 NIO 67.3

3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,517

$2.45 NIO 89.9

-28.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,484

$3.11 NIO 114

-54.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,332

$2.18 NIO 79.9

-37.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,131

$1.05 NIO 38.54

23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,643

$1.05 NIO 38.52

9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 COP 13.7K

$2.76 NIO 101

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 COP 40.5K

$9.76 NIO 357

30.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 COP 4,542

$1.42 NIO 51.9

0.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 8,986

$2.18 NIO 79.7

29.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,434

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 COP 161.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 COP 7,550

$1.58 NIO 58.0

50.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 COP 7,411

$1.64 NIO 60.3

42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$6.87 NIO 252

33.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,213

$1.34 NIO 49.13

-0.75%

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

$23.5K COP 74.4M

$22.8K NIO 836.8K

2.75%

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

$35.6K COP 113.0M

$26.7K NIO 977.1K

33.59%

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

$125 COP 397.8K

$60.8 NIO 2,225

106.47%

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

$16.29 COP 51.6K

$10.32 NIO 378

57.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 COP 95.8K

$33.01 NIO 1,209

-8.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 COP 108.2K

$30.51 NIO 1,118

11.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 24.8K

$9.23 NIO 338

-15.06%

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

$501 COP 1.6M

$233 NIO 8,530

115.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,450 COP 23.6M

$6,128 NIO 224.4K

21.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.8 COP 262.6K

$61.1 NIO 2,237

35.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.40 COP 150.3K

$66.1 NIO 2,421

-28.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 449.4K

$123 NIO 4,500

15.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 COP 337.4K

$146 NIO 5,331

-26.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 COP 2.5M

$423 NIO 15.5K

89.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 COP 1.4M

$393 NIO 14.4K

14.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 COP 3.9M

$930 NIO 34.1K

33.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 COP 3.1M

$797 NIO 29.2K

22.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 COP 8.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,354 COP 7.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$813 COP 2.6M

$346 NIO 12.7K

134.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

11.92

7.47%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan del Sur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$452 34.1%

San Juan del Sur

$393 37.2% 13% $59

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$261 19.7%

San Juan del Sur

$225 21.3% 13.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$172 13%

San Juan del Sur

$104 9.8% 39.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$170 12.9%

San Juan del Sur

$178 16.8% 4.6% $7.8

Eating Out

Bogota

$150 11.3%

San Juan del Sur

$99 9.3% 34.1% $51

Getting Around

Bogota

$69 5.2%

San Juan del Sur

$9.8 * 0.9% 85.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$50 3.8%

San Juan del Sur

$49 4.6% 1.6% $0.8

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 $423 in San Juan del Sur. 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 135% higher in Bogota, 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 $34.00 in San Juan del Sur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $225 – making San Juan del Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇳🇮 San Juan del Sur

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h behind Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

14,741

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bogota San Juan del Sur 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
San Juan del Sur

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 San Juan del Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bogota is pricier by about 25%, 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 $1,586 in San Juan del Sur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan del Sur, 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 $34.00 in San Juan del Sur. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan del Sur, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Bogota at $1,323. In San Juan del Sur it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bogota it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan del Sur – 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 San Juan del Sur. 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.