Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Bogota

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $1,323 in Bogota, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Bogota
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Bogota Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Bogota

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,323

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $890 per month in San Juan vs $1,323 in Bogota, rent included.

San Juan $890
Bogota $1,323

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in San Juan vs $2,110 in Bogota, rent included.

San Juan $1,389
Bogota $2,110

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in San Juan vs $2,897 in Bogota, rent included.

San Juan $1,888
Bogota $2,897

San Juan is about 33% cheaper than Bogota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan and Bogota are more affordable than the global median – San Juan 34% lower, Bogota 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

$7.65 COP 24.3K

-11.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

$41.44 COP 131.4K

-5.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

$10.38 COP 32.9K

16.38%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ARS 3,938

$2.53 COP 8,011

2.37%

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

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$1.35 COP 4,277

56.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,761

$0.87 COP 2,752

109.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 5,930

$2.06 COP 6,542

89.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ARS 6,799

$3.98 COP 12.6K

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,101

$1.65 COP 5,240

-16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ARS 2,195

$2.40 COP 7,618

-39.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,124

$1.69 COP 5,345

-17.16%

Eggs

$1.44 ARS 2,184

$3.54 COP 11.2K

-59.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,305

$7.89 COP 25.0K

-64.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,448

$7.30 COP 23.1K

-14.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

$9.87 COP 31.3K

10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$3.58 COP 11.4K

-60.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,108

$1.84 COP 5,822

-24.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,037

$1.90 COP 6,012

-29.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,193

$1.74 COP 5,517

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,128

$1.41 COP 4,484

-0.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,098

$1.37 COP 4,332

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$1.30 COP 4,131

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,183

$1.15 COP 3,643

25.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ARS 4,117

$4.32 COP 13.7K

-37.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 ARS 7,433

$12.76 COP 40.5K

-61.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ARS 2,136

$1.43 COP 4,542

-1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,178

$2.83 COP 8,986

-49.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ARS 1,460

$1.08 COP 3,434

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 COP 161.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ARS 3,006

$2.38 COP 7,550

-16.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$2.34 COP 7,411

-57.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 ARS 7,351

$9.20 COP 29.2K

-47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ARS 1,782

$1.33 COP 4,213

-12.03%

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

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

$23.5K COP 74.4M

13.87%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

$35.6K COP 113.0M

-5.59%

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

$144 ARS 218.7K

$125 COP 397.8K

14.88%

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

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

$16.29 COP 51.6K

-38.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

$30.21 COP 95.8K

-41.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

$34.11 COP 108.2K

-10.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.37 COP 48.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

$7.84 COP 24.8K

-11.61%

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

$172 ARS 260.5K

$501 COP 1.6M

-65.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

$7,450 COP 23.6M

-44.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ARS 162.3K

$82.8 COP 262.6K

29.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

$47.40 COP 150.3K

-10.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

$142 COP 449.4K

-59.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

$106 COP 337.4K

-66.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ARS 378.2K

$803 COP 2.5M

-68.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 301.1K

$452 COP 1.4M

-56.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 747.1K

$1,244 COP 3.9M

-60.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ARS 607.2K

$974 COP 3.1M

-58.92%

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)

$700 ARS 1.1M

$813 COP 2.6M

-13.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.81

321.55%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bogota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$198 22.3%

Bogota

$452 34.1% 128% $253

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

Bogota

$261 19.7% 37.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$172 19.3%

Bogota

$172 13% 0% $0

Eating Out

San Juan

$166 18.6%

Bogota

$150 11.3% 9.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Bogota

$170 12.9% 55.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 5%

Bogota

$50 3.8% 12.5% $5.5

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Bogota

$69 5.2% 543% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $249 in San Juan 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 16% higher in Bogota, 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 $39.00 in San Juan versus $41.00 in Bogota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $261 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇨🇴 Bogota

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

2 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

8,181,047 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Bogota 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

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

Yes – Bogota is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,335 per month in San Juan 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 San Juan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in San Juan and $41.00 in Bogota. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Bogota, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Bogota at $1,323. In San Juan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bogota it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – 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 San Juan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bogota makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.