Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bogota and Santa Tecla

For one person, living costs are similar in Bogota and in Santa Tecla: $1,323 and $1,355 a month, rent and utilities included.

64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bogota and in Santa Tecla

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

A single person spends $1,323 per month in Bogota vs $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Bogota $1,323
Santa Tecla $1,355

A couple spends around $2,110 per month in Bogota vs $2,006 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Bogota $2,110
Santa Tecla $2,006

A family of three spends $2,897 per month in Bogota vs $2,657 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Bogota $2,897
Santa Tecla $2,657

Bogota is about 2% cheaper than Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Bogota sits 2% below the global median, while Santa Tecla is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 COP 24.3K

$6.56 $6.56

16.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.44 COP 131.4K

$44.20 $44.20

-6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 COP 32.9K

$6.82 $6.82

52.20%

Cappuccino

$2.53 COP 8,011

$3.50 $3.50

-27.71%

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

$1.35 COP 4,277

$1.15 $1.15

17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 COP 2,752

$0.86 $0.86

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 COP 6,542

$1.98 $1.98

4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 COP 12.6K

$3.63 $3.63

9.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 COP 5,240

$1.75 $1.75

-5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 COP 7,618

$2.14 $2.14

12.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 COP 5,345

$1.43 $1.43

18.18%

Eggs

$3.54 COP 11.2K

$2.30 $2.30

53.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 COP 25.0K

$7.52 $7.52

4.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.30 COP 23.1K

$5.55 $5.55

31.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$10.23 $10.23

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$3.27 $3.27

9.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 COP 5,822

$1.37 $1.37

34.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 COP 6,012

$2.64 $2.64

-28.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,517

$3.54 $3.54

-50.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 COP 4,484

$2.98 $2.98

-52.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,332

$3.35 $3.35

-59.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,131

$0.96 $0.96

35.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 COP 3,643

$0.98 $0.98

17.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 COP 13.7K

$3.94 $3.94

9.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.76 COP 40.5K

$12.06 $12.06

5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 COP 4,542

$2.20 $2.20

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 COP 8,986

$2.95 $2.95

-4.07%

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

$6.16 $6.16

-61.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 COP 7,411

$3.06 $3.06

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.20 COP 29.2K

$20.27 $20.27

-54.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 COP 4,213

$1.24 $1.24

7.26%

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

$23.5K COP 74.4M

$25.4K $25.4K

-7.70%

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

$35.6K COP 113.0M

$27.0K $27.0K

32.11%

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

$125 COP 397.8K

$132 $132

-4.85%

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

$16.29 COP 51.6K

$20.92 $20.92

-22.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.21 COP 95.8K

$42.31 $42.31

-28.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 COP 108.2K

$24.72 $24.72

37.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 24.8K

$5.03 $5.03

55.86%

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

$501 COP 1.6M

$160 $160

212.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,450 COP 23.6M

$4,809 $4,809

54.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.8 COP 262.6K

$67.0 $67.0

23.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.40 COP 150.3K

$46.85 $46.85

1.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 COP 449.4K

$116 $116

22.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 COP 337.4K

$115 $115

-7.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 COP 2.5M

$765 $765

5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 COP 1.4M

$548 $548

-17.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 COP 3.9M

$1,200 $1,200

3.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$974 COP 3.1M

$887 $887

9.85%

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

$406 $406

100.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

8.5

50.71%

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

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bogota

$452 34.1%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4% 21.3% $96

Groceries & Markets

Bogota

$261 19.7%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bogota

$172 13%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 13.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bogota

$170 12.9%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 8.8% $15

Eating Out

Bogota

$150 11.3%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 6.4% $9.6

Getting Around

Bogota

$69 5.2%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 69% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Bogota

$50 3.8%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 30.2% $15

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 $765 in Santa Tecla. 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 100% higher in Bogota, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bogota versus $44.00 in Santa Tecla. Groceries tell a different story – $261 in Bogota vs $260 in Santa Tecla – so Santa Tecla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Bogota

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

1 h behind Bogota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,181,047 Capital

138,695

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bogota Santa Tecla 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Bogota
Santa Tecla

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 Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Tecla is pricier by about 2%, 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 $2,032 in Santa Tecla. 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 $44.00 in Santa Tecla. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Santa Tecla – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,323, than in Santa Tecla at $1,355. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Tecla 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, Santa Tecla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.