Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,324 a month against $3,456 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ellicott City, MD
🇺🇸 United States
$3,456
/mo nomad
Bogota
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,324
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,456 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $1,324 in Bogota, rent included.

  • Ellicott City, MD $3,456
  • Bogota $1,324

A couple spends around $4,609 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,127 in Bogota, rent included.

  • Ellicott City, MD $4,609
  • Bogota $2,127

A family of three spends $5,762 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,931 in Bogota, rent included.

  • Ellicott City, MD $5,762
  • Bogota $2,931

Ellicott City, MD costs about 161% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ellicott City, MD sits 155% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.95 $17.95
$7.78 COP 24.7K
130.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$96.3 $96.3
$41.36 COP 131.1K
132.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.76 $10.76
$10.02 COP 31.8K
7.39%
Cappuccino
$5.19 $5.19
$2.48 COP 7,877
109.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 $3.48
$1.33 COP 4,215
161.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 $2.64
$0.89 COP 2,827
196.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.16 $7.16
$1.87 COP 5,931
282.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.20 $8.20
$3.92 COP 12.4K
109.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.67 COP 5,284
-30.54%
White Bread (500g)
$4.10 $4.10
$2.53 COP 8,019
62.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.91 $3.91
$1.71 COP 5,436
128.65%
Eggs
$4.71 $4.71
$3.42 COP 10.9K
37.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.82 $16.82
$7.84 COP 24.9K
114.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.10 $13.10
$7.33 COP 23.2K
78.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.63 $18.63
$9.69 COP 30.7K
92.26%
Apples (1kg)
$5.90 $5.90
$3.59 COP 11.4K
64.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 $1.59
$1.79 COP 5,687
-11.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.19 $4.19
$1.99 COP 6,320
110.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.32 $4.32
$1.73 COP 5,494
149.71%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.44 COP 4,577
50.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.62 $2.62
$1.45 COP 4,591
80.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.37 $2.37
$1.29 COP 4,104
83.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.20 COP 3,795
88.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.63 $13.63
$4.36 COP 13.8K
212.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.75 $15.75
$12.53 COP 39.7K
25.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.68 $2.68
$1.41 COP 4,455
90.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.81 COP 8,922
11.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.10 COP 3,480
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$50.7 COP 160.9K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 $1.77
$2.40 COP 7,622
-26.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.34 $1.34
$2.32 COP 7,366
-42.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.53 $23.53
$9.34 COP 29.6K
151.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.36 COP 4,299
-30.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.8K $22.8K
$35.4K COP 112.1M
-35.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.3K $24.3K
$35.3K COP 111.9M
-31.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 $205
$127 COP 402.4K
61.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$51.0 $51.0
$16.30 COP 51.7K
212.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$79.6 $79.6
$30.93 COP 98.1K
157.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$114 $114
$33.46 COP 106.1K
241.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.35 COP 48.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.86 $14.86
$8.00 COP 25.4K
85.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,971 $1,971
$494 COP 1.6M
298.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.0K $35.0K
$7,606 COP 24.1M
359.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.3 $51.3
$86.1 COP 273.1K
-40.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.0 $56.0
$48.55 COP 153.9K
15.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 $90.6
$143 COP 454.4K
-36.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 $113
$106 COP 336.9K
6.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,470 $2,470
$801 COP 2.5M
208.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,078 $2,078
$448 COP 1.4M
363.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,963 $2,963
$1,274 COP 4.0M
132.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,651 $2,651
$1,001 COP 3.2M
164.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,847 COP 9.0M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,585 $2,585
$2,319 COP 7.4M
11.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ellicott City, MD
Bogota
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,995 $4,995
$799 COP 2.5M
525.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.79
12.81
-46.99%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ellicott City, MD
$2.1K
Bogota
$448 78.4% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Ellicott City, MD
$436
Bogota
$262 40% $174
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ellicott City, MD
$336
Bogota
$174 48.1% $162
Eating Out
Ellicott City, MD
$315
Bogota
$148 52.9% $167
Sport & Entertainment
Ellicott City, MD
$144
Bogota
$49 65.6% $94
Clothing & Footwear
Ellicott City, MD
$140
Bogota
$173 23.5% $33
Getting Around
Ellicott City, MD
$8.5 *
Bogota
$69 717% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,470 in Ellicott City, MD versus $801 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 run about 525% higher in Ellicott City, MD, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Ellicott City, MD versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $262 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD
🇨🇴 Bogota
🕒 Local time
17:22 5:22 PM
16:22 4:22 PM
1 h behind Ellicott City, MD
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
65,834
8,181,047 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ellicott City, MD Bogota 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ellicott City, MD
  • 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
Ellicott City, MD vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bogota cheaper than Ellicott City, MD?
Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 161%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,184 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $1,986 in Bogota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Ellicott City, MD or in Bogota?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Ellicott City, MD and $41.00 in Bogota. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Ellicott City, MD and in Bogota?
Groceries cost about 67% more in Ellicott City, MD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ellicott City, MD or in Bogota?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,324, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,456. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Ellicott City, MD or Bogota more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bogota. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ellicott City, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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