Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan de Pasto and Bucaramanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucaramanga: $1,221 a month against $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in San Juan de Pasto
Learn more

San Juan de Pasto Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Bucaramanga
Learn more

Bucaramanga Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,463

/mo nomad

Bucaramanga

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan de Pasto and in Bucaramanga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Juan de Pasto and in Bucaramanga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,463 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,221 in Bucaramanga, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $1,463
Bucaramanga $1,221

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $1,834 in Bucaramanga, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,144
Bucaramanga $1,834

A family of three spends $2,825 per month in San Juan de Pasto vs $2,446 in Bucaramanga, rent included.

San Juan de Pasto $2,825
Bucaramanga $2,446

San Juan de Pasto costs about 20% more than Bucaramanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Juan de Pasto sits 8% above the global median, while Bucaramanga is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 COP 28.5K

$5.34 COP 17.2K

65.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 152.0K

$31.23 COP 100.9K

50.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 COP 33.9K

$9.21 COP 29.7K

14.01%

Cappuccino

$2.89 COP 9,349

$2.11 COP 6,806

36.97%

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

$1.42 COP 4,596

$1.40 COP 4,516

1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 COP 3,899

$1.08 COP 3,499

12.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 COP 11.1K

$1.68 COP 5,441

104.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 COP 11.8K

$2.46 COP 7,936

47.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 COP 5,203

$1.43 COP 4,635

12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 COP 7,714

$1.43 COP 4,629

67.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 COP 6,655

$3.07 COP 9,905

-32.90%

Eggs

$3.46 COP 11.2K

$3.10 COP 10.0K

11.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 COP 23.1K

$7.75 COP 25.0K

-7.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 COP 32.7K

$13.84 COP 44.7K

-26.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 COP 38.2K

$17.12 COP 55.3K

-30.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 COP 12.1K

$3.51 COP 11.3K

6.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,425

$1.36 COP 4,379

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,534

$2.11 COP 6,826

-18.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 COP 6,012

$2.71 COP 8,757

-31.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 COP 5,795

$1.41 COP 4,539

26.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 COP 5,567

$1.69 COP 5,473

1.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 COP 3,322

$0.91 COP 2,939

13.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,254

$0.92 COP 2,974

43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 COP 15.2K

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 COP 40.7K

$12.42 COP 40.1K

1.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 COP 4,114

$1.30 COP 4,212

-2.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 COP 8,423

$1.87 COP 6,030

39.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 COP 3,587

$0.97 COP 3,141

14.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 COP 216.1K

$66.4 COP 214.4K

0.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 COP 5,268

$1.69 COP 5,449

-3.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 COP 6,754

$0.48 COP 1,560

335.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 COP 25.4K

$7.67 COP 24.8K

2.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,160

$1.29 COP 4,166

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

$39.0K COP 126.1M

$33.9K COP 109.5M

15.14%

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

$33.3K COP 107.6M

$34.5K COP 111.5M

-3.49%

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

$129 COP 415.7K

$170 COP 549.8K

-24.39%

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

$13.90 COP 44.9K

$10.56 COP 34.1K

31.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.01 COP 96.9K

$25.93 COP 83.8K

15.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 COP 106.6K

$37.62 COP 121.5K

-12.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.84 COP 102.8K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 COP 25.3K

$8.89 COP 28.7K

-11.81%

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

$581 COP 1.9M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K COP 44.8M

$12.7K COP 40.9M

9.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 COP 303.3K

$51.5 COP 166.3K

82.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.34 COP 159.4K

$56.6 COP 182.9K

-12.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 394.4K

$121 COP 390.4K

1.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 COP 306.5K

$95.1 COP 307.3K

-0.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 COP 2.5M

$414 COP 1.3M

88.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 COP 1.8M

$317 COP 1.0M

71.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 COP 4.7M

$966 COP 3.1M

51.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 COP 2.6M

$519 COP 1.7M

53.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,112 COP 6.8M

$2,189 COP 7.1M

-3.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,582 COP 5.1M

$1,752 COP 5.7M

-9.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$574 COP 1.9M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.4

-3.23%

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

Last update for San Juan de Pasto: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bucaramanga: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan de Pasto

$546 37.3%

Bucaramanga

$317 26% 41.8% $228

Groceries & Markets

San Juan de Pasto

$278 19%

Bucaramanga

$302 24.8% 8.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan de Pasto

$173 11.8%

Bucaramanga

$207 16.9% 19.7% $34

Eating Out

San Juan de Pasto

$172 11.8%

Bucaramanga

$119 9.7% 30.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan de Pasto

$162 11.1%

Bucaramanga

$146 12% 10% $16

Getting Around

San Juan de Pasto

$83 5.7%

Bucaramanga

$74 6.1% 10.8% $9

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan de Pasto

$49 3.3%

Bucaramanga

$55 4.5% 13.8% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $780 in San Juan de Pasto versus $414 in Bucaramanga. 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 $47 in San Juan de Pasto versus $31 in Bucaramanga. Groceries tell a different story – $278 in San Juan de Pasto vs $302 in Bucaramanga – so San Juan de Pasto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 San Juan de Pasto

🇨🇴 Bucaramanga

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

Same time as San Juan de Pasto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

392,930

581,130

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan de Pasto Bucaramanga 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan de Pasto
Bucaramanga

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 de Pasto vs Bucaramanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan de Pasto costs about 20% more than Bucaramanga, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,194 per month in San Juan de Pasto and $1,831 in Bucaramanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bucaramanga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $780 in San Juan de Pasto.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,221 in Bucaramanga. That makes Bucaramanga about 17% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in San Juan de Pasto – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto and $1,221 in Bucaramanga. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Bucaramanga has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,221 in Bucaramanga to $1,463 in San Juan de Pasto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.