Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,387 a month against $2,725 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,725

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,725 per month in Merrillville, IN vs $1,387 in Bogota, rent included.

Merrillville, IN $2,725
Bogota $1,387

A couple spends around $3,722 per month in Merrillville, IN vs $2,151 in Bogota, rent included.

Merrillville, IN $3,722
Bogota $2,151

A family of three spends $4,719 per month in Merrillville, IN vs $2,915 in Bogota, rent included.

Merrillville, IN $4,719
Bogota $2,915

Merrillville, IN costs about 96% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Merrillville, IN and Bogota sit above the global median – Merrillville, IN by 102%, Bogota by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 $15.29

$7.94 COP 25.6K

92.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$42.83 COP 138.3K

28.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 $9.14

$10.81 COP 34.9K

-15.45%

Cappuccino

$1.98 $1.98

$2.47 COP 7,986

-19.84%

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

$1.49 $1.49

$1.34 COP 4,342

11.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.85 COP 2,734

172.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.39 COP 7,725

87.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 $6.13

$4.83 COP 15.6K

26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.63 COP 5,265

-52.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 $3.08

$2.33 COP 7,508

32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.81 COP 5,836

154.14%

Eggs

$4.61 $4.61

$3.52 COP 11.4K

30.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.23 $11.23

$7.84 COP 25.3K

43.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 $9.28

$7.62 COP 24.6K

21.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 $21.61

$10.66 COP 34.4K

102.72%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.49 COP 11.3K

71.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.76 COP 5,689

-38.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.92 COP 6,184

136.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.89 COP 6,115

189.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.41 COP 4,553

164.54%

Onion (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.43 COP 4,616

205.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.26 COP 4,074

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.15 COP 3,729

6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.43 $11.43

$4.43 COP 14.3K

158.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 $11.82

$12.31 COP 39.8K

-3.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.48 COP 4,782

35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.22 COP 10.4K

10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.08 COP 3,483

63.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.1 $67.1

$50.2 COP 162.1K

33.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.02 COP 6,538

152.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.54 COP 8,213

-28.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.04 $49.04

$7.49 COP 24.2K

554.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.28 COP 4,135

-23.44%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-19.64%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$34.9K COP 112.5M

-23.84%

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

$258 $258

$127 COP 411.0K

103.02%

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

$55.0 $55.0

$16.31 COP 52.7K

237.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 $55.2

$30.21 COP 97.5K

82.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 $36.74

$33.56 COP 108.4K

9.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.03 COP 48.5K

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 $15.02

$7.62 COP 24.6K

97.11%

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

$1,347 $1,347

$557 COP 1.8M

141.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$13.1K COP 42.2M

21.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 $54.4

$85.1 COP 274.7K

-36.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.53 $40.53

$48.17 COP 155.5K

-15.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$139 COP 448.6K

-22.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 $93.8

$108 COP 347.1K

-12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,753 $1,753

$730 COP 2.4M

140.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 $1,457

$504 COP 1.6M

189.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,325 $2,325

$1,438 COP 4.6M

61.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 $2,052

$963 COP 3.1M

113.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,169 $3,169

$2,946 COP 9.5M

7.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,247 $2,247

$2,250 COP 7.3M

-0.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$811 COP 2.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

12.81

-48.01%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: 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

Merrillville, IN

$1.5K 53.5%

Bogota

$504 36.4% 65.4% $953

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$387 14.2%

Bogota

$264 19% 31.8% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$369 13.5%

Bogota

$174 12.5% 52.9% $195

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$223 8.2%

Bogota

$156 11.3% 30.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 4.9%

Bogota

$171 12.3% 28.4% $38

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$88 3.2%

Bogota

$69 5% 21.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$67 2.5%

Bogota

$49 3.5% 26.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,753 in Merrillville, IN 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Merrillville, IN versus $43 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $264 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

1 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

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 →

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Merrillville, IN Bogota 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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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

Merrillville, IN vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Merrillville, IN is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,087 per month in Merrillville, IN 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 $1,753 in Merrillville, IN.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,725 in Merrillville, IN and $1,387 in Bogota. That makes Bogota about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% 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.

For expats, Bogota is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.