Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Francisco and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogota: $1,323 a month against $1,672 in San Francisco, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco
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San Francisco Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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San Francisco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,672

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,672 per month in San Francisco vs $1,323 in Bogota, rent included.

San Francisco $1,672
Bogota $1,323

A couple spends around $2,668 per month in San Francisco vs $2,110 in Bogota, rent included.

San Francisco $2,668
Bogota $2,110

A family of three spends $3,664 per month in San Francisco vs $2,897 in Bogota, rent included.

San Francisco $3,664
Bogota $2,897

San Francisco costs about 26% more than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Francisco sits 24% above the global median, while Bogota is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 ₡4,520

$7.65 COP 24.3K

31.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 ₡27.7K

$41.44 COP 131.4K

49.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 ₡4,947

$10.38 COP 32.9K

6.26%

Cappuccino

$4.33 ₡1,941

$2.53 COP 8,011

71.15%

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

$1.30 ₡582

$1.35 COP 4,277

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₡810

$0.87 COP 2,752

108.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 ₡1,504

$2.06 COP 6,542

62.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 ₡1,932

$3.98 COP 12.6K

8.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,039

$1.65 COP 5,240

40.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,360

$2.40 COP 7,618

26.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,095

$1.69 COP 5,345

44.38%

Eggs

$3.51 ₡1,575

$3.54 COP 11.2K

-0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₡4,859

$7.89 COP 25.0K

37.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 ₡4,677

$7.30 COP 23.1K

42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 ₡6,192

$9.87 COP 31.3K

39.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 ₡2,241

$3.58 COP 11.4K

39.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.84 COP 5,822

-10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,177

$1.90 COP 6,012

155.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,777

$1.74 COP 5,517

127.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,683

$1.41 COP 4,484

165.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,609

$1.37 COP 4,332

162.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡483

$1.30 COP 4,131

-16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,435

$1.15 COP 3,643

178.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.80 ₡2,601

$4.32 COP 13.7K

34.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,119

$12.76 COP 40.5K

59.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,262

$1.43 COP 4,542

96.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,642

$2.83 COP 8,986

29.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ₡602

$1.08 COP 3,434

24.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₡29.3K

$50.8 COP 161.1K

28.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₡800

$2.38 COP 7,550

-25.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡732

$2.34 COP 7,411

-30.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₡3,994

$9.20 COP 29.2K

-3.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₡667

$1.33 COP 4,213

12.03%

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

$22.0K ₡9.9M

$23.5K COP 74.4M

-6.38%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$35.6K COP 113.0M

-1.72%

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

$76.3 ₡34.2K

$125 COP 397.8K

-39.18%

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

$33.48 ₡15.0K

$16.29 COP 51.6K

105.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.18 ₡21.6K

$30.21 COP 95.8K

59.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 ₡33.3K

$34.11 COP 108.2K

117.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.84 COP 24.8K

-4.08%

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

$973 ₡436.4K

$501 COP 1.6M

94.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$7,450 COP 23.6M

125.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 ₡31.9K

$82.8 COP 262.6K

-14.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$47.40 COP 150.3K

16.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 ₡29.9K

$142 COP 449.4K

-52.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.8 ₡24.1K

$106 COP 337.4K

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 ₡362.4K

$803 COP 2.5M

0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₡282.0K

$452 COP 1.4M

39.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 ₡858.5K

$1,244 COP 3.9M

53.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 ₡568.0K

$974 COP 3.1M

30.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 COP 8.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,354 COP 7.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$892 ₡400.1K

$813 COP 2.6M

9.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.81

-32.71%

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

Last update for San Francisco: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Francisco

$629 37.6%

Bogota

$452 34.1% 28.2% $177

Groceries & Markets

San Francisco

$401 24%

Bogota

$261 19.7% 34.9% $140

Eating Out

San Francisco

$203 12.2%

Bogota

$150 11.3% 26.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Francisco

$158 9.5%

Bogota

$172 13% 8.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

San Francisco

$111 6.6%

Bogota

$170 12.9% 53.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

San Francisco

$89 5.3%

Bogota

$50 3.8% 44.2% $39

Getting Around

San Francisco

$81 4.8%

Bogota

$69 5.2% 14.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $808 in San Francisco versus $803 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 10% higher in San Francisco, 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 $62.0 in San Francisco versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $261 – making Bogota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Francisco

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

08:20 8:20 AM

1 h ahead of San Francisco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,923

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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San Francisco Bogota 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

San Francisco
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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

San Francisco vs Bogota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Francisco is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,508 per month in San Francisco and $1,985 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,672 in San Francisco and $1,323 in Bogota. That's a gap of about 26%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Bogota. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bogota, where all-in costs run around $1,323, than in San Francisco at $1,672. In Bogota it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Francisco it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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