Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iowa City, IA and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,387 a month against $2,239 in Iowa City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Iowa City, IA
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Iowa City, IA Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Iowa City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,239

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,239 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $1,387 in Bogota, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $2,239
Bogota $1,387

A couple spends around $3,243 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $2,151 in Bogota, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $3,243
Bogota $2,151

A family of three spends $4,246 per month in Iowa City, IA vs $2,915 in Bogota, rent included.

Iowa City, IA $4,246
Bogota $2,915

Iowa City, IA costs about 61% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Iowa City, IA and Bogota sit above the global median – Iowa City, IA by 66%, Bogota by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$7.94 COP 25.6K

87.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.9 $64.9

$42.83 COP 138.3K

51.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 $9.02

$10.81 COP 34.9K

-16.56%

Cappuccino

$5.72 $5.72

$2.47 COP 7,986

131.58%

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

$2.78 $2.78

$1.34 COP 4,342

107.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.85 COP 2,734

161.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.39 COP 7,725

110.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$4.83 COP 15.6K

44.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.63 COP 5,265

-41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.33 COP 7,508

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.81 COP 5,836

11.60%

Eggs

$3.68 $3.68

$3.52 COP 11.4K

4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 $9.22

$7.84 COP 25.3K

17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$7.62 COP 24.6K

37.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.19 $20.19

$10.66 COP 34.4K

89.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.49 COP 11.3K

-2.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.76 COP 5,689

-34.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.92 COP 6,184

38.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.89 COP 6,115

147.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.41 COP 4,553

40.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.43 COP 4,616

64.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.26 COP 4,074

34.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.15 COP 3,729

103.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.65 $9.65

$4.43 COP 14.3K

117.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 $13.30

$12.31 COP 39.8K

8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.48 COP 4,782

18.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 $4.28

$3.22 COP 10.4K

32.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 COP 3,483

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 COP 162.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.02 COP 6,538

93.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.54 COP 8,213

-19.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.91 $43.91

$7.49 COP 24.2K

486.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.28 COP 4,135

-21.09%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-20.09%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$34.9K COP 112.5M

-24.88%

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

$271 $271

$127 COP 411.0K

112.60%

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

$46.61 $46.61

$16.31 COP 52.7K

185.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$30.21 COP 97.5K

167.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.52 $29.52

$33.56 COP 108.4K

-12.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.31 $20.31

$15.03 COP 48.5K

35.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.83 $13.83

$7.62 COP 24.6K

81.50%

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

$1,287 $1,287

$557 COP 1.8M

131.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K $14.7K

$13.1K COP 42.2M

12.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.9 $63.9

$85.1 COP 274.7K

-24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.41 $47.41

$48.17 COP 155.5K

-1.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 $98.3

$139 COP 448.6K

-29.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$108 COP 347.1K

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 $1,302

$730 COP 2.4M

78.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 $1,002

$504 COP 1.6M

98.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 $1,906

$1,438 COP 4.6M

32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$963 COP 3.1M

70.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,489 $3,489

$2,946 COP 9.5M

18.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,843 $1,843

$2,250 COP 7.3M

-18.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,887 $3,887

$811 COP 2.6M

379.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

12.81

-49.65%

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

Last update for Iowa City, IA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bogota: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iowa City, IA

$1K 44.7%

Bogota

$504 36.4% 49.7% $498

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iowa City, IA

$398 17.8%

Bogota

$174 12.5% 56.3% $224

Groceries & Markets

Iowa City, IA

$348 15.5%

Bogota

$264 19% 24.1% $84

Eating Out

Iowa City, IA

$274 12.2%

Bogota

$156 11.3% 43% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Iowa City, IA

$147 6.6%

Bogota

$171 12.3% 16.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Iowa City, IA

$57 2.6%

Bogota

$49 3.5% 14.7% $8.4

Getting Around

Iowa City, IA

$14 * 0.6%

Bogota

$69 5% 389% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Iowa City, IA 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 Iowa City, IA are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Iowa City, IA versus $43 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $264 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Iowa City, IA

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

1 h ahead of Iowa City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,828

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iowa City, IA Bogota 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Iowa City, IA
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

Iowa City, IA vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Iowa City, IA is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,359 per month in Iowa City, IA 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 $1,302 in Iowa City, IA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Iowa City, IA and $43 in Bogota. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Iowa City, IA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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, Iowa City, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.