Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,380 in Bogota, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in East London 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 East London and in Bogota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $992 per month in East London vs $1,380 in Bogota, rent included.

East London $992
Bogota $1,380

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in East London vs $2,167 in Bogota, rent included.

East London $1,611
Bogota $2,167

A family of three spends $2,230 per month in East London vs $2,953 in Bogota, rent included.

East London $2,230
Bogota $2,953

East London is about 28% cheaper than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 R 151

$7.82 COP 24.8K

16.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.23 R 635

$42.50 COP 134.6K

-10.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 92.6

$10.29 COP 32.6K

-45.87%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.04

$2.60 COP 8,237

-21.15%

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

$1.04 R 17.31

$1.30 COP 4,113

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.68

$0.91 COP 2,884

-16.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.65

$2.02 COP 6,391

33.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 R 53.3

$4.01 COP 12.7K

-19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.68

$1.68 COP 5,310

-29.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.52

$2.53 COP 8,002

-65.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.95

$1.69 COP 5,353

-14.79%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.77

$3.51 COP 11.1K

-35.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 R 139

$8.25 COP 26.1K

1.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 R 91.3

$7.46 COP 23.6K

-26.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 R 111

$9.69 COP 30.7K

-30.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.28

$3.55 COP 11.2K

-58.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.41

$1.84 COP 5,822

-16.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.14

$2.00 COP 6,323

-18.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.83

$1.84 COP 5,835

-22.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.86

$1.42 COP 4,497

18.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.71

$1.39 COP 4,389

2.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.46

$1.29 COP 4,095

-9.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.80

$1.14 COP 3,615

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R 48.02

$4.41 COP 14.0K

-34.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.1

$12.52 COP 39.6K

-62.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.47 COP 4,648

-19.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.36

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-69.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 R 24.50

$1.09 COP 3,462

34.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 R 778

$50.4 COP 159.6K

-7.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.28

$2.39 COP 7,564

-48.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.58

$2.44 COP 7,738

-81.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 139

$9.55 COP 30.3K

-12.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.42

$1.36 COP 4,306

-0.74%

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

$34.7K R 576.1K

$34.8K COP 110.4M

-0.49%

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

$29.3K R 486.5K

$34.8K COP 110.1M

-15.78%

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

$122 R 2,032

$125 COP 395.2K

-1.99%

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

$32.64 R 542

$16.34 COP 51.7K

99.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 R 737

$30.01 COP 95.1K

47.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 R 656

$33.66 COP 106.6K

17.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 COP 48.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 R 75.5

$7.72 COP 24.5K

-41.19%

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

$177 R 2,943

$555 COP 1.8M

-68.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,438 R 90.4K

$7,491 COP 23.7M

-27.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R 944

$82.8 COP 262.3K

-31.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 R 545

$48.40 COP 153.3K

-32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R 1,214

$144 COP 456.6K

-49.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,581

$108 COP 340.7K

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,825

$749 COP 2.4M

-61.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R 4,164

$502 COP 1.6M

-50.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 9,017

$1,430 COP 4.5M

-62.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.5K

$1,009 COP 3.2M

-37.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 COP 9.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,231 COP 7.1M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.6K

$806 COP 2.6M

106.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

-14.13%

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

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$251 25.3%

Bogota

$502 36.4% 100% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.1%

Bogota

$171 12.4% 14.1% $28

Groceries & Markets

East London

$180 18.1%

Bogota

$265 19.2% 47.3% $85

Eating Out

East London

$141 14.2%

Bogota

$152 11% 7.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.7%

Bogota

$172 12.5% 48.5% $56

Getting Around

East London

$56 5.7%

Bogota

$69 5% 23.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Bogota

$49 3.6% 1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in East London versus $749 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 East London are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $38 in East London versus $43 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $265 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

20:11 8:11 PM

7 h behind East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,167 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,530 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

East London Bogota 11,410 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
Bogota

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

East London vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bogota is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,487 per month in East London and $2,070 in Bogota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $749 in Bogota.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $992 in East London and $1,380 in Bogota. That makes East London about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in East London. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Bogota at $1,380. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bogota it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, East London is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.