Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and San Rafael

For one person, living costs are similar in Bogota and in San Rafael: $1,310 and $1,318 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,310

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,310 per month in Bogota vs $1,318 in San Rafael, rent included.

Bogota $1,310
San Rafael $1,318

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Bogota vs $2,096 in San Rafael, rent included.

Bogota $2,073
San Rafael $2,096

A family of three spends $2,836 per month in Bogota vs $2,875 in San Rafael, rent included.

Bogota $2,836
San Rafael $2,875

Bogota is about 1% cheaper than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.62 COP 24.3K

$11.20 ARS 17.0K

-31.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.93 COP 130.4K

$49.65 ARS 75.3K

-17.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 COP 31.7K

$14.69 ARS 22.3K

-32.20%

Cappuccino

$2.46 COP 7,851

$4.34 ARS 6,580

-43.32%

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

$1.36 COP 4,348

$2.42 ARS 3,663

-43.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 COP 2,603

$1.98 ARS 3,006

-58.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 COP 6,405

$3.94 ARS 5,969

-48.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 COP 12.3K

$4.42 ARS 6,701

-12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.35 ARS 2,046

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 COP 7,828

$2.27 ARS 3,435

8.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 COP 5,256

$2.67 ARS 4,052

-38.20%

Eggs

$3.45 COP 11.0K

$3.18 ARS 4,820

8.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.69 COP 24.5K

$14.56 ARS 22.1K

-47.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 COP 22.4K

$6.21 ARS 9,418

13.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 COP 31.0K

$11.16 ARS 16.9K

-12.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 COP 11.1K

$2.38 ARS 3,604

45.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 COP 5,673

$2.21 ARS 3,347

-19.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,240

$1.35 ARS 2,048

45.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 COP 5,579

$3.30 ARS 5,012

-46.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 COP 4,460

$2.01 ARS 3,055

-30.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 COP 4,433

$1.45 ARS 2,203

-4.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 COP 4,188

$1.94 ARS 2,935

-32.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 COP 3,685

$2.46 ARS 3,725

-52.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 COP 13.2K

$2.82 ARS 4,279

47.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.24 COP 39.0K

$5.05 ARS 7,656

142.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,528

$1.73 ARS 2,625

-17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 9,022

$3.05 ARS 4,619

-7.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 COP 3,391

$1.00 ARS 1,513

6.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.65 COP 155.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 COP 7,259

$1.96 ARS 2,966

16.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 COP 7,377

$1.02 ARS 1,540

126.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 COP 29.5K

$4.89 ARS 7,412

89.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 COP 4,000

$1.27 ARS 1,929

-0.79%

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

$23.4K COP 74.5M

$26.6K ARS 40.4M

-12.29%

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

$35.3K COP 112.5M

$32.6K ARS 49.4M

8.34%

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

$121 COP 385.4K

$135 ARS 205.3K

-10.65%

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

$15.63 COP 49.8K

$17.43 ARS 26.4K

-10.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 COP 92.4K

$23.44 ARS 35.6K

23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.55 COP 103.7K

$31.21 ARS 47.3K

4.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.14 COP 48.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 COP 24.0K

$6.91 ARS 10.5K

9.26%

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

$465 COP 1.5M

$177 ARS 268.1K

162.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,119 COP 25.9M

$4,090 ARS 6.2M

98.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 COP 262.8K

$116 ARS 175.9K

-28.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.69 COP 148.8K

$125 ARS 188.9K

-62.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 452.7K

$136 ARS 206.8K

4.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 COP 331.7K

$125 ARS 189.8K

-16.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 COP 2.5M

$489 ARS 740.9K

59.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 COP 1.4M

$318 ARS 482.7K

38.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 COP 4.0M

$937 ARS 1.4M

34.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 COP 3.1M

$725 ARS 1.1M

34.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,755 COP 8.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,239 COP 7.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$795 COP 2.5M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

-78.29%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 3, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$440 34%

San Rafael

$318 24.6% 27.7% $122

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$256 19.9%

San Rafael

$286 22.1% 11.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$169 13.1%

San Rafael

$226 17.5% 33.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$166 12.8%

San Rafael

$176 13.6% 6.5% $11

Eating Out

Bogota

$147 11.4%

San Rafael

$232 17.9% 57.8% $85

Getting Around

Bogota

$67 5.2%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.9% 83.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$48 3.7%

San Rafael

$45 3.5% 5.5% $2.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $781 in Bogota versus $489 in San Rafael. 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 $50.0 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $286 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

2 h ahead of Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

118,850

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bogota San Rafael 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Rafael is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,966 per month in Bogota and $1,978 in San Rafael. 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. 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 $50.0 in San Rafael. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in San Rafael, 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 Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,310, than in San Rafael at $1,318. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Rafael it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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 Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Rafael makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.