Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenaventura and Bucaramanga

For one person, living costs are similar in Buenaventura and in Bucaramanga: $1,308 and $1,258 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Buenaventura
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Buenaventura Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Bucaramanga
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Bucaramanga Living Index

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Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,308

/mo nomad

Bucaramanga

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenaventura and in Bucaramanga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenaventura and in Bucaramanga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,308 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,258 in Bucaramanga, rent included.

Buenaventura $1,308
Bucaramanga $1,258

A couple spends around $2,012 per month in Buenaventura vs $1,889 in Bucaramanga, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,012
Bucaramanga $1,889

A family of three spends $2,716 per month in Buenaventura vs $2,519 in Bucaramanga, rent included.

Buenaventura $2,716
Bucaramanga $2,519

Buenaventura costs about 4% more than Bucaramanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Buenaventura and Bucaramanga are more affordable than the global median – Buenaventura 3% lower, Bucaramanga 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 COP 24.1K

$5.48 COP 17.4K

38.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.62 COP 135.1K

$31.07 COP 98.5K

37.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 COP 29.8K

$9.24 COP 29.3K

1.84%

Cappuccino

$2.59 COP 8,225

$2.12 COP 6,709

22.17%

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

$1.38 COP 4,370

$1.45 COP 4,604

-4.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 COP 2,835

$1.03 COP 3,277

-13.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 COP 9,959

$1.69 COP 5,364

85.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 COP 11.8K

$2.45 COP 7,771

52.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 COP 4,538

$1.45 COP 4,597

-1.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 COP 7,642

$1.41 COP 4,457

70.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,169

$3.06 COP 9,691

-46.73%

Eggs

$2.95 COP 9,353

$3.06 COP 9,689

-3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 COP 24.9K

$7.65 COP 24.3K

2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 COP 30.5K

$14.37 COP 45.6K

-33.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.27 COP 38.9K

$17.11 COP 54.3K

-28.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$3.45 COP 11.0K

3.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,665

$1.36 COP 4,298

8.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,047

$2.04 COP 6,469

-6.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 COP 5,696

$2.83 COP 8,970

-36.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,737

$1.35 COP 4,278

10.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,694

$1.77 COP 5,613

-16.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 COP 3,758

$0.98 COP 3,118

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 COP 3,811

$0.91 COP 2,889

31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.95 COP 12.5K

$3.67 COP 11.6K

7.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$12.71 COP 40.3K

3.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$1.37 COP 4,328

2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 COP 7,555

$1.64 COP 5,194

45.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 COP 3,450

$1.15 COP 3,637

-5.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.9 COP 237.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 COP 5,079

$2.79 COP 8,846

-42.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 COP 6,457

$1.91 COP 6,066

6.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.02 COP 28.6K

$7.96 COP 25.2K

13.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,080

$1.36 COP 4,302

-5.15%

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

$24.7K COP 78.5M

$34.4K COP 109.0M

-28.03%

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

$35.4K COP 112.2M

$34.0K COP 107.9M

3.92%

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

$126 COP 399.9K

$173 COP 547.8K

-27.00%

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

$13.14 COP 41.7K

$10.61 COP 33.6K

23.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 COP 92.5K

$26.45 COP 83.9K

10.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.15 COP 120.9K

$38.37 COP 121.7K

-0.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.05 COP 101.6K

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 COP 20.6K

$6.43 COP 20.4K

1.09%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,516 COP 23.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 COP 269.2K

$52.6 COP 166.7K

61.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 COP 172.5K

$57.6 COP 182.6K

-5.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.5K

$119 COP 376.4K

17.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 COP 328.1K

$96.2 COP 305.1K

7.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 COP 2.1M

$474 COP 1.5M

37.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 COP 1.5M

$334 COP 1.1M

42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 COP 3.2M

$931 COP 3.0M

7.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$875 COP 2.8M

$553 COP 1.8M

58.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,966 COP 6.2M

$1,111 COP 3.5M

77.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,628 COP 5.2M

$1,572 COP 5.0M

3.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

12.4

-6.61%

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

Last update for Buenaventura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bucaramanga: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenaventura

$475 36.3%

Bucaramanga

$334 26.5% 29.7% $141

Groceries & Markets

Buenaventura

$273 20.9%

Bucaramanga

$305 24.2% 11.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Buenaventura

$172 13.1%

Bucaramanga

$146 11.6% 14.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenaventura

$168 12.9%

Bucaramanga

$210 16.7% 24.6% $41

Eating Out

Buenaventura

$153 11.7%

Bucaramanga

$120 9.6% 21.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Buenaventura

$51 3.9%

Bucaramanga

$51 4.1% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Buenaventura

$16 * 1.2%

Bucaramanga

$92 7.3% 469% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $653 in Buenaventura versus $474 in Bucaramanga. 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 $43.00 in Buenaventura versus $31.00 in Bucaramanga. Groceries tell a different story – $273 in Buenaventura vs $305 in Bucaramanga – so Buenaventura wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Buenaventura

🇨🇴 Bucaramanga

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

Same time as Buenaventura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,607

581,130

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Buenaventura Bucaramanga 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Buenaventura
Bucaramanga

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

Buenaventura vs Bucaramanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenaventura costs about 4% more than Bucaramanga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,962 per month in Buenaventura and $1,887 in Bucaramanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucaramanga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,308 in Buenaventura and $1,258 in Bucaramanga. That's a gap of about 4%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Buenaventura – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bucaramanga, where all-in costs run around $1,258, than in Buenaventura at $1,308. In Bucaramanga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenaventura it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bucaramanga costs $1,258 versus $1,308 in Buenaventura. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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