Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,387 a month against $3,072 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Chicago, IL
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Chicago, IL Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,072

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chicago, IL and in Bogota

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

A single person spends $3,072 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,387 in Bogota, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,072
Bogota $1,387

A couple spends around $4,545 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,151 in Bogota, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,545
Bogota $2,151

A family of three spends $6,019 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,915 in Bogota, rent included.

Chicago, IL $6,019
Bogota $2,915

Chicago, IL costs about 122% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chicago, IL and Bogota sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 127%, Bogota by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$7.94 COP 25.7K

156.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 $88.6

$42.83 COP 138.4K

106.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.85 $12.85

$10.81 COP 34.9K

18.87%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$2.47 COP 7,988

134.01%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.34 COP 4,343

104.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.85 COP 2,734

165.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.39 COP 7,727

187.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 $9.24

$4.83 COP 15.6K

91.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.63 COP 5,267

-22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.33 COP 7,510

52.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$1.81 COP 5,838

197.24%

Eggs

$4.55 $4.55

$3.52 COP 11.4K

29.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 $13.65

$7.84 COP 25.3K

74.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$7.62 COP 24.6K

84.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.06 $18.06

$10.66 COP 34.4K

69.42%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.49 COP 11.3K

47.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.76 COP 5,691

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.92 COP 6,186

102.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.89 COP 6,117

155.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.41 COP 4,554

99.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.43 COP 4,617

86.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.26 COP 4,075

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.15 COP 3,730

163.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.90 $13.90

$4.43 COP 14.3K

213.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$12.31 COP 39.8K

22.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.48 COP 4,784

77.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 $3.45

$3.22 COP 10.4K

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.08 COP 3,484

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 $75.3

$50.2 COP 162.1K

50.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.02 COP 6,539

56.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.54 COP 8,215

-33.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.90 $24.90

$7.49 COP 24.2K

232.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.28 COP 4,136

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

5.08%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$34.9K COP 112.6M

-23.09%

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

$192 $192

$127 COP 411.1K

50.89%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$16.31 COP 52.7K

326.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$30.21 COP 97.6K

105.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.79 $47.79

$33.56 COP 108.4K

42.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.10 $27.10

$15.03 COP 48.5K

80.31%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 $17.83

$7.62 COP 24.6K

133.99%

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

$1,815 $1,815

$557 COP 1.8M

225.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.6K $40.6K

$13.1K COP 42.2M

210.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 $66.2

$85.1 COP 274.7K

-22.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$48.17 COP 155.6K

6.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$139 COP 448.7K

-25.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$108 COP 347.2K

32.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,531 $2,531

$730 COP 2.4M

246.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 $1,621

$504 COP 1.6M

221.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,828 $4,828

$1,438 COP 4.6M

235.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,734 $2,734

$963 COP 3.1M

183.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,163 $4,163

$2,946 COP 9.5M

41.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,723 $2,723

$2,250 COP 7.3M

21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,924 $4,924

$811 COP 2.6M

507.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

12.81

-47.07%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: November 3, 2026

Last update for Bogota: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chicago, IL

$1.6K 52.8%

Bogota

$504 36.4% 68.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$439 14.3%

Bogota

$264 19% 39.9% $175

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$344 11.2%

Bogota

$156 11.3% 54.6% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$324 10.5%

Bogota

$174 12.5% 46.3% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$164 5.3%

Bogota

$171 12.3% 4.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$97 3.2%

Bogota

$69 5% 28.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$83 2.7%

Bogota

$49 3.5% 41.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,531 in Chicago, IL versus $730 in Bogota. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chicago, IL are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Chicago, IL versus $43 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $439 vs $264 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

1 h ahead of Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Chicago, IL Bogota 4,350 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chicago, IL
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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

Chicago, IL vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chicago, IL is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,608 per month in Chicago, IL and $2,080 in Bogota. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $2,531 in Chicago, IL.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,072 in Chicago, IL and $1,387 in Bogota. That makes Bogota about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Bogota. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chicago, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.