Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,310 a month against $2,197 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bogota
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,310
/mo nomad
San Juan
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$2,197
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,310 per month in Bogota vs $2,197 in San Juan, rent included.

  • Bogota $1,310
  • San Juan $2,197

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Bogota vs $3,317 in San Juan, rent included.

  • Bogota $2,073
  • San Juan $3,317

A family of three spends $2,836 per month in Bogota vs $4,436 in San Juan, rent included.

  • Bogota $2,836
  • San Juan $4,436

Bogota is about 40% cheaper than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bogota sits 2% below the global median, while San Juan is 64% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.62 COP 24.5K
$18.95 $18.95
-59.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.93 COP 131.8K
$81.6 $81.6
-49.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 COP 32.1K
$9.01 $9.01
10.54%
Cappuccino
$2.46 COP 7,933
$3.63 $3.63
-32.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 COP 4,394
$1.92 $1.92
-29.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 COP 2,631
$1.44 $1.44
-43.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 COP 6,472
$2.96 $2.96
-32.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.85 COP 12.4K
$5.12 $5.12
-24.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 COP 5,213
$2.16 $2.16
-25.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 COP 7,909
$3.64 $3.64
-32.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.65 COP 5,311
$2.40 $2.40
-31.25%
Eggs
$3.45 COP 11.1K
$7.30 $7.30
-52.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.69 COP 24.8K
$12.48 $12.48
-38.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.02 COP 22.6K
$9.91 $9.91
-29.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.72 COP 31.3K
$13.15 $13.15
-26.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.47 COP 11.2K
$5.01 $5.01
-30.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 COP 5,732
$2.57 $2.57
-30.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,305
$4.83 $4.83
-59.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.75 COP 5,637
$4.68 $4.68
-62.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.40 COP 4,507
$3.69 $3.69
-62.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 COP 4,479
$3.89 $3.89
-64.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 COP 4,232
$3.35 $3.35
-60.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 COP 3,724
$1.65 $1.65
-29.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 COP 13.4K
$11.90 $11.90
-65.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.24 COP 39.4K
$15.42 $15.42
-20.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,575
$2.98 $2.98
-52.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 COP 9,117
$3.91 $3.91
-27.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 COP 3,426
$0.78 $0.78
35.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.65 COP 156.7K
$29.65 $29.65
64.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.28 COP 7,335
$2.53 $2.53
-9.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.31 COP 7,454
$1.53 $1.53
50.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.26 COP 29.8K
$41.18 $41.18
-77.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 COP 4,042
$1.23 $1.23
2.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K COP 75.3M
$39.7K $39.7K
-41.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.3K COP 113.7M
$28.0K $28.0K
25.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 COP 389.4K
$323 $323
-62.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.63 COP 50.3K
$70.0 $70.0
-77.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.00 COP 93.4K
$70.1 $70.1
-58.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.55 COP 104.8K
$41.55 $41.55
-21.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.14 COP 48.7K
$7.78 $7.78
94.60%
Cinema Ticket
$7.55 COP 24.3K
$10.57 $10.57
-28.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$465 COP 1.5M
$814 $814
-42.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,119 COP 26.1M
$12.4K $12.4K
-34.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$82.5 COP 265.6K
$55.5 $55.5
48.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.69 COP 150.3K
$61.6 $61.6
-24.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$142 COP 457.4K
$107 $107
32.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 COP 335.2K
$113 $113
-7.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$781 COP 2.5M
$1,791 $1,791
-56.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$440 COP 1.4M
$847 $847
-48.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,258 COP 4.1M
$2,872 $2,872
-56.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$974 COP 3.1M
$1,496 $1,496
-34.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,755 COP 8.9M
$7,513 $7,513
-63.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,239 COP 7.2M
$3,351 $3,351
-33.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bogota
San Juan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$795 COP 2.6M
$2,674 $2,674
-70.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.81
6.55
95.57%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bogota
$440
San Juan
$847 92.6% $407
Groceries & Markets
Bogota
$256
San Juan
$412 60.7% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Bogota
$169
San Juan
$152 10.2% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogota
$166
San Juan
$463 180% $298
Eating Out
Bogota
$147
San Juan
$261 77.5% $114
Getting Around
Bogota
$67
San Juan
$43 35.6% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Bogota
$48
San Juan
$63 31.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $781 in Bogota versus $1,791 in San Juan. 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 236% higher in San Juan, 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 $82.0 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $412 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Bogota
🇵🇷 San Juan
🕒 Local time
03:46 3:46 AM
04:46 4:46 AM
1 h ahead of Bogota
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,181,047 Capital
322,854 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bogota San Juan 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bogota
  • San Juan

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is San Juan cheaper than Bogota?
Yes – San Juan is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,966 per month in Bogota and $3,295 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bogota, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Bogota and in San Juan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,310 in Bogota and $2,197 in San Juan. That's a gap of about 68%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 64% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bogota or in San Juan?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,310, than in San Juan at $2,197. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Bogota or San Juan more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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